


Dangan Ronpa: City of Betrayal

by ReDuxReDo



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Dangan Ronpa & Dangan Ronpa Zero & Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, Dangan Ronpa 3 Spoilers, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode Spoilers, Gen, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2404112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReDuxReDo/pseuds/ReDuxReDo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know the drill, but you don't know what we have planned! Sixteen students and a large city with endless possibilities of murder! Can Auruka Micho survive this hellish game monitored by two demonic bears? We're wondering as well!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a cross-posting from FF, and for a small reference chapter on character summaries, it will be there. Anyway enjoy.

My name is Auruka Micho and I am _not_ an ordinary girl. I mean, if I was an ordinary girl, then I wouldn’t have the life I have been living, you know? I went through extraordinary things to get where I am, and that has to account for something; then again I’m sure other people have gone even more amazing things than I. Me? Myself? Whatever.

At first glance, I would very well be considered an everyday girl- I’m at average height for a girl at my age, average weight, and… other stuff. I keep my hair neat and short, but I have a little troubling dealing with some parts of it, I make sure I dress properly, and all-around I’m a pretty cute looking girl if I do say so myself.

However, I really don’t think my opinion of myself is what really matters. Its’ not a pessimistic attitude, but more of an analytical standpoint. See the thing is, I wanted my unusualness to be judged by only one group; what place could that be you ask?

Why only the ever-famous Hope’s Peak Academy, of course. A gifted school for gifted students of refined talent. The dream school that anyone with the special talent that rises above all others will be able to attend, with the honorary title of Super High School Level. For my acceptance into a school like this, I have to meet the standard requirements.

High school age? Check.

Be the best at my talent? Check.

And the willingness to attend no matter what? You betcha check!

So it should come as to no surprise that I be able to attend Hope’s Peak right?

Someone like me, should definitely have the chance…

…Yeah…

I should definitely… have the chance…

Because I’m a student of-

* * *

“Rise and shine, sleepy head! It’s time to wake up!”

“Ghhhk!”

Whatever dream she had at the moment was gone, as she was jolted awake by what sounded like and engine turbine in her ear. The muscles in her body tensed up, but the worst part was that her head had recoiled back, hitting the wall behind her. Pain flared and she immediately began to rub at the back of her head. “Owww….”

What just happened? She heard some shuffling and a few hushed whispers, and felt her body tense up in agitation from the unknown around her. When she wakes up, it’s usually in her bed, at her home, with her family. This was obviously not her home from the sound of things!

She opened her eyes, noticing three pairs of legs and glanced up at the other people, two boys and a girl. They looked to be about her age, and they all stared down at her like she was a specimen on display. She also noticed that they all were in a small room of sorts, with metal walls surrounding them. It was a bit spacious, so there no worry about her claustrophobia coming out. Something about it was familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place it. The silence that followed was only brief, and she was the first to break it.

“Who are you?” she asked, oddly calm despite the fact she had no idea where the heck she was. The first to answer was the girl, who immediately knelt down to her level. The two boys stood silent, making Auruka believe that the girl was their impromptu leader at the moment.

“Before that, can I look at your wrist for a second?” Up close, she could notice more of the girl’s appearance, the most obvious being her long frizzy black hair, her skin a light pale contrast to it, alongside a light dust of freckles across her face. She had a white veil that was lifted, a lavender shirt, and a long white skirt with a train, blue sandals, and ten golden bracelets, five on each arm. As she grabbed onto her wrist, she noticed a small black watch on her right arm, and as she pulled up by her left arm she found she was also wearing the same kind of watch.

She pulled away from the girls grip and she let go, letting her get a clear view of the watch she never owned. It was a digital watch with a glowing screen, the holder divided into an equal black and white style; the black strap felt a little tight, and the number seven kept flashing on the screen in a bright green color.

“What the…?” She pulled on it with no effect. “When did I get this? What’s going on here?” She looked at the girl and the two boys, expecting some explanation for what happened. She tried to dig in her own memories for any clues, but couldn’t find anything. She definitely recalled being at home and getting ready for… something. Something about the television and…Everything after that was hazy, with no clear grasp.

“Hey, don’t panic now.” The girl grabbed onto her hand, lightly rubbing with her thumb in a calming gesture. “Listen, we’re all as confused as you are, but it doesn’t make things better if we all start panicking.” She gave a smile. “If it’s not too much, can you tell us your name?”

Her name? That was easy enough. She brushed aside a few bangs of her pink hair and took a breather she desperately needed. “My name is…Auruka Micho.”

“Nice to meet you Micho-san. My name is Hanako Amaya and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The girl bowed and gave a beaming smile. Auruka smiled back, feeling a bit better, before she paused. Amaya Hanako? Why did that name sound so familiar? Did she… did she know this girl?

“Hey, is it alright if we introduce ourselves too?” One of the boys was visibly shaking, excitement all over his face. He was definitely taller than Auruka- who realized that she was actually the shortest in this group- with tanned skin and the most dazzling golden eyes she ever seen. His hair was bright red and shaggy and unkempt, a few strands held down underneath a black bandana wrapped around his head, a small golden insignia of a crown on the center front. Strapped to his back was a yellow duffel bag. His outfit was a yellow tracksuit, the top unzipped showing a white undershirt underneath, his pant legs were rolled up to his knees, and black sneakers; the outfit did little to hide the muscle underneath. He seemed to stand out within the room’s dreariness. He grinned, showcasing sparkling white teeth, his entire being a literal personification of the sun. Auruka noticed how he had a watch like hers on his right wrist- the only blemish in his otherwise sunny getup.

Hanako moved away as much as she could and allowed the red head to get close to Auruka, before he began exclaiming in a booming voice, “Hey, hey, hey! Nice to meet ya’!” He raised his left hand in a fist and brought it down to his chest. “My name’s Keiichi Yoshikazu, and I’m the Super High School Level Cheer Captain!”

* * *

**Keiichi Yoshikazu- Super High School Level Cheer Captain**

* * *

 

Auruka never had met someone like him before, but nonetheless tried to return the enthusiasm. “Umm, nice to meet you two...” she said anxiously. He seemed nice enough to not worry about, she just had to make sure that he was about two feet from him whenever he started talking. She ran his introduction through her head, stopping on the last words he said. “Hey, did you just say ‘Super High School Level’?” Didn’t that mean…?

Keiichi smile melted, and the other boy and Hanako looked just as surprised. “I did?” He scratched his head. “I guess I did. I don’t know, it felt right, you know?” Auruka didn’t like that answer, and she tried to dig in her head to try and remember what she could.

“The Super High School Level title is used for students of Hope’s Peak Academy, right?” The other boy crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t that mean you’re a student there? Oh, but before we forget,” He nodded at Auruka. “Name’s Akihisa Futonomi.” Auruka got a better look of him, he was fair-skinned, and his black hair a little long with the bangs pushed aside to cover a bit of the left side of his face, brown eyes narrowed over at Keiichi in suspicion. She couldn’t get a look at his body type, because it was hard to see underneath the heavy clothing- a black leather jacket, with a dark blue shirt underneath, black jeans, and black sneakers. He had a light red scarf around his neck, a clear contrast to his entire wardrobe, but otherwise everything about was dark. Akihisa also had a watch on his right wrist.

“Well, if that’s the case then would that mean we’re also part of Hope’s Peak?” Hanako twirled a strand of hair. “I mean, if we’re all talented people, then it would be pretty obvious, right?” She paused, and continued twirling her hair. “Are you two also talented?” She glanced over at Auruka and the Akihisa, as if already realizing she was talented enough for Hope’s Peak. Auruka let out a small ‘Heh’, finding that kinda brave from Hanako.

Akihisa clicked his tongue. “If so, then it’s pretty obvious what my talent would be. I’m a master swordsman and the next to take over my family’s house- which are full of those trained in sword combat, so I assume my title would be the Super High School Level Swordsman.” He paused, before chuckling. “You know, saying it out loud does feel familiar.”

* * *

**Akihisa Futonomi- Super High School Level Swordsman**

* * *

 

Auruka instinctively took a step back, already feeling nervous being in the same room as this guy. If this guy was a Super High School Level student at Hope’s Peak, then he must really be the best with a blade. Wasn’t there already a Swordsman at the school there? Swordswoman? Did gender really make a difference? Auruka was thinking about the wrong things, but still, Hope’s Peak Academy? That place was Auruka’s dream and she actually might be involved with it even though she doesn’t remember? Wow!

Hope’s Peak Academy was a super elite school that recruited the top of the top of talented students. Anyone who was accepted was guaranteed a chance a success, in whatever field they were in. The only requirements: you had to be a students, from elementary to high school, and you had to be the top in a certain talent. Notable examples included sports, education, and after-school activities, but Hope’s Peak went for any talent that they could, like Gamer, Soldier, Freedom Fighter, even Samurai! Of course there was only one of each talent, and with how you had to be scouted by them it just made the process of being a student all the more thrilling. If that was the case with the four of them, then would that make Auruka a Super High School Level student too?

Hanako squealed, evidently happy over Akihisa’s title declaration. “Then it’s only reasonable of my title, as well!” She lifted the veil over her head, allowing Auruka a better look at her. “I mean someone like me would have to be the Super High School Level Medium, or maybe Exorcist would be better?” She scrunched her nose, which Auruka found cute. “No, Medium is a better title. Yep, definitely Medium!”

* * *

**Hanako Amaya- Super High School Level Medium**

* * *

 

“What about you Micho-san, what’s your talent?” Hanako was close enough to touch nose to nose with Auruka, making her blush. Hanako noticed this and blushed as well, before pulling away and apologizing. “You do have a talent, right? Or your part of something or…” Hanako trailed off.

“Of course she has a talent!” Keiichi pointed at Auruka’s neck. “She has a big badge, so that has to mean something.”

She looked down at her shirt, noticing she was wearing a blue long sleeved collared shirt, a purple knee-length skirt, white socks, and black loafers- reminiscent of her school uniform. She looked a bit higher up on her collar, finding a badge clipped to it and pulled it off. It was a small circular golden pin, pretty simple, with a small carving of a chrysanthemum in the center. The pin seemed to sparkle in her fingers, her eyes catching light. It took a moment for her memories to surface, the small item being a common piece of her attire. She didn’t realize she began mumbling.

“…Defense attorney…”

“What?” Akihisa questioned.

How could she have forgotten something like that? If she was really a part of Hope’s Peak and was given a title, then it was totally obvious what that title would be.

She closed her eyes, twirling the small pin between her fingers, and took a deep breath. Throwing the pin in the air, she straightened out herself, letting all her worries melt away, catching the pin in her hand and clipping it to her collar. She grinned, and looked over at the trio proudly declaring, “My name is Auruka Micho and I am the Super High School Level Defense Attorney!”

* * *

**Auruka Micho- Super High School Level Defense Attorney**

* * *

 

Of course, why didn’t she realize she would only be a Defense Attorney? She was one of the youngest in Japan, and was exceptionally talented when it came to defending her clients on crimes they didn’t commit. Her record was near spotless, and it was a wonder why Hope’s Peak didn’t recruit her earlier.

Hanako had stars in her eyes. “Wow! What you did was so cool, Micho-san! You’re a defense attorney, that’s so cool! And that means that’s an actual defense attorney badge that they really use, just like the Ace Attorney!”

Akihisa nodded. “I have to admit, that introduction was… something. It definitely seemed rehearsed.”

Keiichi was ecstatic. “Michocchi is so cool! You have to show me how you did that cool spinning thing with your pin! I bet I could do the same with my baton, or even with my team mates!” With both his and Hanako’s excitement, plus Auruka’s own delivery, the atmosphere was less tense and cramped.

“Eh? Really?” Rubbing the back of her head, Auruka blushed at the attention from them, even though she performed an act like that. Honestly, she didn’t know why she wanted to show off like that, but whatever. Akihisa didn’t say anything, gazing at the three with minimal attention.

Then suddenly, the sound of garbling static filled the room. The four tried to find the source of the noise, but a voice rang, in a comical high pitch.

_“Ahem, mic test, mic test. Can anyone hear me? Hello, check one, two, and three.”_ The voice paused, as if it was checking their reactions. _“Good morning my students- wait, you can’t really tell that it’s morning right now. Silly me! Anyway, now that all sixteen of you have made proper introductions with a few of your classmates, how about we let you meet the others? Please wait for a second as I finish the final touches. Thank you!”_ The voice was then cut off with a horrible microphone feedback, causing the four to cover their ears in slight pain.

Taking her hands off from her ears, Auruka could only wonder what that was. “What… what the hell was that?” Her thoughts exactly, Akihisa.

“I’m not sure Futonomi-san, but you did hear what… _they_ said though.” Hanako looked over at the three with eager eyes. “‘Sixteen of you’? That must mean the others are here too.” She rubbed at the part of her wrist free from the bracelet. “Wherever _here_ is.” She tried to pass it off by giving a short laugh, but Auruka could catch the slight apprehension.

Before anyone say anything, there was a shudder; the creak of metal sliding open slightly aggravated their ears, but they didn’t focus on that. What they thought was a wall that Auruka had it her head on was actually an opening, a small sliver of light coming through between the two sliding doors. It took a second for Auruka to realize that this room was nothing more than an elevator, and it seemed the others caught on as well.

Being the closest and seeing it looked suitable to slip through, Auruka managed to squeeze through in a way to escape the confines. She ignored the slight protests from the others and managed to exit and land on the outside, ready for whatever would happen. What she could see was something she didn’t expect when leaving the elevator, the outside being a large warehouse. Metal walls, concrete floor, and a high ceiling with large industrial lights hanging overhead. She didn’t know whether to be in awe or shock, completely surprised by what was going on.

The loud scream that followed was something she didn’t expect.

“Kyaah!” In both fear and surprise, Auruka screamed, her body jumping. She felt gravity take a hold of her but managed to stumble enough to regain balance.

“Micho-san, are you okay!?” The elevator doors had fully opened and Hanako ran out, alongside Akihisa and Keiichi. Auruka waved a sign of reassurance, and turned in the direction of the scream from earlier. About three feet from where the four were was an identical looking elevator, its doors wide open. From it were four others, two boys and two girls. One oddly pink girl was trying her best to hide behind the other three, visibly shaking. That was probably the screamer.

Auruka really had nothing to say, but “Uhm…hi?”

The timid girl froze, but not before the other girl- in a sweater and round glasses- grabbed her by her shoulder. You could see the glasses actually reflecting the light as she gave an almost sweet sounding, but venom drenched, “Oh my, you’re not going so quickly, are you Imayoshi?” The girl named Imayoshi paled, as did the other two boys in the group, one blonde and the other black hair. The sense of fear wafted through them and Auruka could swear she began to sweat.

“Ima…yoshi…?” Auruka heard a hushed whisper, before that evolved into, “Soracchi?! Is that you?!” right in her ear. Ouch. Ow, ow, ow…. If what Keiichi did before was a wakeup call, then right now Auruka could say that this broke the sound barrier. The other group were just as surprised; she turned towards Akihisa and Hanako, seeing the two had already covered their ears in reflex. Lucky bastards.

The mentioned girl tilted her head slightly looking over at the Cheer Captain. She was a cute girl, Auruka noted, cute referring to something adorable and innocent-looking. She had light blonde hair, lighter than the other boy, short and curled, with the biggest and pinkest eyes Auruka’s ever seen. They only got bigger when they stayed on Keiichi and the girl bursted into an almost tearful sounding “Kei-chan!” before running towards him.

Keiichi pushed Auruka as gently as he could with his strength (Auruka could feel the right side of her body bruise as Hanako managed to catch her) held his arms out and caught the girl in his arms, cradling her. The two hugged, clinging to each other for dear life, before Keiichi pulled away and held her head an inch from his. “Ate you okay? You’re not hurt, right? Was that you’re scream and did you wake up here like the rest of us? Do you remember anything before?” It was hard for Auruka to keep track but it seemed that Imayoshi was able to.

“I’m fine. I’m not. Yes. Yes. And I only remember being at home.” She grabbed Keiichi’s hands and pulled them away. “I’m okay, Kei-chan really.” The close connection between them was evident, and Auruka couldn’t help her cheeks growing hot. “And I apologize to you as well…” Imayoshi had detached herself from Keiichi and walked over to Auruka. She was able to get a better look at her- she was shorter than Auruka and had almost a soft body. She wore a pink blouse with a red ribbon on the front, a yellow bell skirt, black knee high socks, and white flats; a small yellow crown, almost similar to the insignia on Kenichi, was on top of her head and held by a black ribbon tied under her chin. The same watch as the others was on her right wrist. A quick look at the other three was the same result. “I was just a bit startled when I saw someone come out the elevator nearby, so I screamed.” She looked a bit embarrassed as she shuffled her feet. “Uhm, so please let me apologize by- Whoa!”

The girl had tried to Auruka’s side, but somehow ended up face planting on the floor. _Ooh, that’s gotta hurt._ The oddest part about was that it seemed she just took a step before falling. Like she just stepped down on the floor and immediately fell. There wasn’t even anything on the ground that could trip her…

“…Ow…” She didn’t even sound like she was in pain.

“…Uh…” Everyone was at a loss at what to say, except Keiichi who was sighed in exasperation. Was this a common thing? Auruka couched down to the girl’s level, her stillness unsettling. “Is… she…”

“I’m fine, not a scratch!” Auruka jolted away when the girl raised her head lightning fast. Despite the concrete floor, she was uninjured as she got up and dusted herself off. “It’ll take more than gravity to stop me!” Her face then morphed into worry. “Aah, please forgive me for that outburst, I’m sorry. I’ll just…I’ll just back away now…” As she went to Keiichi’s side, her cheeks were dusted pink and she hung her head. Keiichi patted her head in comfort.

Hanako tried to break the awkward silence. “Alright then… so, how about some introductions?”

“You are under leveled!” The bespectacled girl pointed a finger Auruka, a wicked smile on her face. “You must be level 15 in order to initiate a conversation with me, please try a New Game Plus!”

…The seven people around the girl didn’t even know how to respond to something like that. Except that black haired boy.

“You. Are a horrible person.” Auruka caught a hint of an accent from him as he spoke. The glasses girl smirked before shrugging her shoulders.

“I can’t help it, that’s just the kind of girl I am.” Despite how she was just a while ago, she seemed to be in high spirits. The girl giggled, mockingly, before setting her dark blue eyes on Auruka, her body freezing. “Hello there fellow classmate! It’s nice to meet you, I’m-“

BZZZZT *Crackle*

“Ahem. Ahem. Mic check, mic check!” As if from everywhere at once, a voice reverberated throughout the warehouse. Auruka could recognize as the voice from before. “Would all students for the field trip please get together near the entrance, please? It’s literally right in front of you, in case you’re wondering. Thank you.”

The girl in glasses could only sigh. “It seems we’ll have to settle this another time.” Settle what, exactly? “Oh but, it seems the other eight are going to beat us to the entrance, so we better hurry.” She pointed over to the left of her and Auruka couldn’t believe it. On the other side of the warehouse were eight others, like them, but between them were more elevators! Auruka could count six more between the two they come out and the possible two on the end from the other group. Just what was the purpose of elevators in a warehouse?

She looked over at the others, Hanako giving a small smile of encouragement. Auruka smiled back and said “Okay then. I’ll guess we’ll figure things out once we do what the voice says.” The girl with glasses paused, until she gave another odd smile. With that the eight of them went to catch up with the others. A few tried to converse, but it seemed pointless with their lack of information on how they needed up here.

As the sixteen of them finally got together, Auruka noted all the variety among them; each of them was supposed to be a Super High School Level with a unique talent that Hope’s Peak scouted them for. Whatever the case, they were all here in an unknown place, no idea why and following the orders of a strange voice. Auruka didn’t know why she felt nervous all of a studded, but it was understandable.

“So…” A boy said. “What now?”

“I believe the one who requested this did not specify that part.” A girl this time.

“What?! That’s not helpful at all!” Another girl.

“Man that really makes things even scarier, right?” Another boy.

“Not helping Kurosawa…” A girl muttered.

Suddenly, the lights shut off, the entire warehouse in utter darkness. A few screamed, Auruka included, especially when a hand grabbed hers. “Sorry, Micho-san!” Oh, it was Hanako.

“Don’t do things like that!” Auruka hissed.

Light returned in a second, only this time it was just a single one in front of the group. A podium, like a teacher would use, had appeared from nowhere. And on top of that podium was a small, stuffed, teddy bear.

“Uh…”

“What… is that?”

“Looks like a stuffed bear.”

“Aw. Cute.”

“Puhuhuhu~” With an almost joyful and creepy laugh, the small bear stood up. One half black and sinister, the other white and innocent, seeing it move and talk was the icing on the disturbing factor on this whole mystery. Auruka could only hold her breath at this bizarre scene, an uneasy sense of dread creeping on her for unknown reasons.

“Good morning, students of the future! And welcome to the start of a magnificent game! My name is Monokuma and I’ll be your advisor for the rest of your high school life!”

* * *

**Prologue**

**City Life: A Second Chance at Hello**

**16 Students**

* * *

 


	2. Prologue II

“Good morning, students of the future! And welcome to the start of a magnificent game! My name is Monokuma and I’ll be your advisor for the rest of your high school life!”

“Oh god let this just be me having a bad dream.” Auruka wasn’t kidding when she said that. There was no way that this was real, the talking bear, her waking up in an elevator, even her possible admittance into Hope’s Peak. I mean, it was her dream, but that’s it- it was a dream. Her being in her dream school was nothing more than a pipe dream, and this? This was nothing more than a bad dream she should wake up from any minute now. “This is all, just a very bad, _very bad_ dream I’m having now.”

“Sad to say, but no.” Auruka turned to see a punk-looking blond girl in deep thought. “While I can address that the bear’s out of reality point of view, the fact any of this is a dream can’t apply. I live, therefore I am.”

What? “What?” Auruka could kinda comprehend the first part, but the last one didn’t make much sense. She looked at punk girl demanding an answer, but someone beat her to the punch.

“The correct translation is ‘I think, therefore I am’ from the Latin phrase Cogito Ergo Sum.” A young boy with dyed white hair smiled at the punk girl. “It refers to one’s existence because we cannot doubt we don’t exist, while we doubt other things. While I understand the confusion, leave the historical phrases to the people capable of comprehending literature.” His voice was so sweet and gentle it took Auruka a moment to realize that was an insult.

“Man, you learned Latin?” A boy (Kurosawa, was it?) looked at the other in awe. “Was that part of a curriculum I missed?”

A brunette girl in a white dress sighed. “I think it’s different in his case, what with his talent and all. Right Yomohiro-kun? Someone like you had to learn a lot about literature!”

The glasses girl raised her hand as if in class. “Are we just going to ignore the snarky attitude from this one? Because I’m finding it quite funny.”

“Ahem.” The bear cleared his throat, obviously put off by the group not paying attention to him. He even had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently. Auruka would have found it cute in another time and place, but she still couldn’t shake the uneasiness with the bear and his odd look. “While I appreciate taking things lightly, I would like it if it didn’t have me being ignored!” His voice rose to maximum volume echoing throughout the warehouse; the few students who were talking stopped, one of them even covering his mouth.

“Now then, let me continue…” he tapped on his chin in thought. “Or should I start over? No, I should definitely start over.” He stopped, as if he was frozen in time before his arms started flapping and his head started jerking around. “No, no starting over! That’s boring! Boring.” Again he paused, almost robotically. “What are you doing, stop! Argh!”

Auruka and the others could only look on as the so-called Headmaster went through what appeared to be a disagreement with himself, even going as far as to turn his head on one side to another to simulate and argument between two people.

“Stupid! Stupid!” said the white side. “I know you are but what am I?” retorted the black side. “An idiot! Go donate your body to science! I would, but they want someone uglier, like you! Take that back! Make me! Dummy! Mega-dummy! Triple-dummy! Sextuple-dummy!”

This seemed to go on forever, and Auruka didn’t know just how to react to this. No one else could as well. Some were making weird faces, a few were staring blankly, almost unresponsive, and one noticeable girl was trying hard not to laugh. And Hanako as well. Auruka let go of her hand instantly, her face deadpan. Well, at least she knew one thing from this- the bear was obviously remote-controlled by someone, who didn’t seem to like sharing. Did that mean this was two people working together- rather poorly, one might add?

Thankfully, he seemed to reach a conclusion- after about six arguments, three death threats, and 375 name callings (Auruka was scared that she could even counted!)- when he shook his head. “Whoa! Head rush! Or is it a brain fart?” He rubbed at where his temples would be. “Hmm… Well whatever! I got everything I need, including a sense of mind.”

He turned away, his back facing the students, as if the entire argument never happened. “Students of this little class, I welcome you. As I said before, my name is Monokuma. And I am the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“The headmaster? You’re the headmaster?” Auruka spoke up without realizing it.

Monokuma nodded. “Uh-yup. I’m the one in charge of Hope’s Peak, plus their curriculum, their finances, student distribution, and anything else associated with the academy.” Monokuma puffed out his chest as if proud. “Not too long ago, I decided to take the lead role in handling a class of first-years on a field trip. Oh wait, that’s you guys!”

“So then, are you responsible for us?” A tanned young man was a bit apprehensive in their situation. “Like you brought us here?”

“Uh-huh. I… We…me?” Monokuma growled. “Ahh, just forget it! This was a terrible idea from the start! Two bears cannot be sharing! Sharing is so unlike us! Why did I- did we?! Me? Who-what!? Awawawawawawawawawawawawawa!” Once more, he muttered to himself in harsh whispers, clawing at his head.

A girl in a red dress chuckled. “Okay. This is getting weird.”

Akihisa gave her a deadpan look. “Really? This. This is just now starting to get weird?”

The girl in glasses giggled. “I’m enjoying this.”

“Argh! Look, let me just make this nice and easy for you to understand!” Monokuma brought everyone’s attention to them, obviously frustrated with themselves. “I’m the headmaster and you’re the students, we brought you here for a little treat, and we’ll tell you what it is after you take in your surroundings.”

“That’ll not good enough!” The girl in the white dress exclaimed. “Are you the reason I can’t remember anything with how I got here?! Just what gives you the right to do something like that?”

“Hey, she’s right!” Keiichi’s voice reached ear-shattering volume. “Why can’t we remember how we got here? What’s going on?”

“I want to go home! I just really want to go home.” Surprisingly, that was the blond boy Auruka just met.

“We demand answers.” The punk girl said. “If you don’t supply, we will retaliate.”

Auruka couldn’t help her own morbid curiosity. “Can you please tell us why we woke up with these bracelets? I looked and everyone here has one.” It was true, while she had trouble with all the new faces and appearances, there was one thing everyone had in common- a black and white bracelet was strapped to either their left or right wrist. The fact everyone had one was troubling enough, but it was made worse since they couldn’t take them off.

Monokuma looked a bit flustered from the sudden interrogation. “…Well…”

The punk girl narrowed her eyes. “Well, what?”

Monokuma bowed. “…I can’t actually tell you why…because um…” He rubbed the back of his head. “You guys haven’t actually explored your surrounding yet…”

The group was silent for a second, not quite understanding the statement.

“Explored our surroundings?” The black haired boy with the accent was trying hard not to scream in frustration. “What’s to explore- we’re in a freaking warehouse- and if you say that there’s something beneath us, then you got another thing coming!” Alongside him, a few others were close to snapping at the ridiculousness that Monokuma was pushing.

Monokuma jumped away, as if the boy was going to attack him. “Gasp! So cruel…” he whimpered. “A threat from a student.”

“So cruel…” For some reason, Imayoshi started tearing up, joining in with Monokuma. “Students threatening teachers…”

“Why’re you on his side!?” Kurosawa exclaimed, his arms bent at odd angles above his head. Sora shrieked before hiding behind Keiichi.

“Anyway,” Monokuma continued. “I was getting to that part, young Jude, before you so rudely interrupted me.” The boy-Jude apparently- froze, obviously frightened that the bear knew his name. “The reason you can’t see what you should explore is because you haven’t widened your horizon. Observe.” With that Monokuma conjured, from seemingly out of nowhere, a small black remote with a comically large red button on it and pressed it.

Click.

In not time, a deep rumbling shuddered, startling Auruka and a few others. “Whoa!” A sudden creaking echoed and Auruka could only stand and watch as something unimaginable happened in front of her.

The wall in front of her shuddered before a crack of light broke through the center vertically. It nearly blinded her and a few others as they let out shouts of pain as it grew, the wall splitting in half. Monokuma’s sharp-toothed grin seemed to grow as he extended his arms above his head, almost as if he was offering the group what was beyond the walls. Auruka could only shield her eyes from the intense glare, the grating sound of metal moving continuing for a minute before finally quieting down.

Letting her arms fall, she tried blinking a few times to adjust her eyes. She heard a gasp from behind her and finally felt her vision come back to her. The wall was now gone and the sun’s rays hit Auruka‘s face with a warmth she greatly missed, the blue sky almost comically light, and a slight breeze tickling her nose. “What the…?”

“Wow! So pretty!” Hanako exclaimed, “Let there be light!”

Hanako’s announcement wasn’t an exaggeration- the scene before her was welcoming to Auruka. I’m front of the group was a single paved pathway over cobblestone, on both sides were simple brownstone buildings and a few streetlights scattered across the road. Auruka was in awe of the sudden shift she was experiencing, and it seemed everyone was just as surprised as she was.

Monokuma giggled. “I know right? Welcome students, to the start of your new lives here!” He walked outside the warehouse and into the new area. “Welcome to the city of the future! The setting for a wonderful trip, Genesis City!”

“Genesis City…?” Auruka couldn’t recall hearing a city like that, so would that mean something else? As she started to walk out, the others following, she couldn’t help but look around. The buildings around her looked new, but they seemed to be made to appear aged, vines creeping put from cracks in the foundation and wrapping around. It was like nothing back home, more westernized.

“Wow, wow, wow! This is flippin’ amazing!” Auruka felt someone push her to the side, the girl in the red dress started to twirl as she even moved ahead Monokuma. “I mean, you guys gotta admit this is like really nice-looking- Oh what is that?!” Spotting something ahead, she ran off.

_Is she serious_ , Auruka thought. “H-Hey! Wait a second!” The fact that someone simply let go on their inhibitions wasn’t much of a shocker, but couldn’t that girl feel something odd about this? Sadly, a few others ignored the unease and followed the girl out. Monokuma said nothing and did nothing as they all moved past him, towards where the pathway opened up.

Auruka felt a hand grab her sleeve and looked over at Hanako, who hadn’t moved an inch. And not just her, but at least four others, including Akihisa. Hanako gave a brief smile and said “Don’t worry Micho-chan, I’m not moving until you are,” while keeping a firm grip on Auruka’s sleeve.

Auruka couldn’t help smiling herself. “Thanks.” She said.

With that, she gently pulled away from Hanako, only to grab her hand. “Just to make sure we don’t lose each other.” Hanako giggled, her freckles popping out on her reddened cheeks. The two girls, plus the other four started walking ahead past the still frozen Monokuma. Only when the short white-haired boy passed him did the bear start up again, trailing behind.

He made sure no one could see the maniacal glint in his eye.

It seemed the others had stopped at the pathway’s mouth, staring at what appeared to be some fountain. Auruka could pick up a certain Cheer Captain’s exclamations, so the group decided to hurry up to see what the fuss was about. It wasn’t too long, seeing as how the brownstone buildings were probably about four buildings across on each side, possibly apartments.

* * *

From up ahead, there was the fountain, its majesty stopping everyone from moving ahead, Auruka noted. She almost believed her jaw would have dropped! It was circular, as most are, and while the pool was made of mossy green stone, the center piece was golden. Small winged angels were surrounding a young woman clutching on a slightly open box, streams of water from the angels mouths, the box, and the woman’s eyes as tears. It was both serene and melancholic, and yet, it felt strangely familiar.

Pausing, Auruka couldn’t stop the flash of pain that hit her, there one second and gone in the next. No one paged any mind when she gritted her teeth and she was grateful for that; it seemed almost odd what with this feeling of familiarity, when she couldn’t recall ever setting foot in a place like this. Well, if she couldn’t remember right now, maybe she would later. Hopefully.

It was when everyone had assembled in the group that Monokuma began speaking again. “Admiring the beauty, right?” A few moved out of his way as he waddled towards the fountain. “Of course, I don’t blame you. This fountain is one of the crown jewels of Genesis City, as it should be! Marvel at the true epitome of hope as it rebels against the onslaught of despair!” He grinned at the confused faces. “Don’t get the Greco-Roman influence and design, do ya’? Figures.

“But I digress,” he said. “For now we should begin with the whole issue of you sixteen being here. As you all have realized, you all say you are of the Super High School Level material, associated with the grand Hope’s Peak. As headmaster, it is my duty to make sure that you get a better understanding of a whole new world and live up to society’s ex-pec-ta-tions.” He made sure to enunciate the last part.

Auruka spoke up. “And is that why we’re here? Because we’re students of Hope’s Peak?”

“Correct. Gold star for the golden child.”

Auruka couldn’t help but disagree with what Monokuma was saying. Sure, whenever Hope’s Peak was brought into a conversation or discussion, most people would generally shut up and let that person continue on, but it didn’t seem right. Would Hope’s Peak actually set up something like this for their students- potentially kidnapping them with no recollection, dump them in elevators, put them in some city Auruka was sure she never heard of, and not even give a more proper explanation? It didn’t sit right, but she wasn’t going to bring it up. She knew from experience to be patient and when to strike. Like a cunning, lawyer cobra.

“Since the lot of you are the Future for mankind and the hope they carry, I thought it would be quite special if we planned this little trip. After all, nothing says special treatment like being in an all-expense paid trip in a beautiful city!” Monokuma shuddered, his red eye flashing for a second. “But I do hope we- I can- make sure your trip is one you’ll never forget in your young lives.” He shuddered once more.

He excused himself from the group by turning around. “Oh man, this again? Why can’t you learn to share?” Auruka couldn’t help feeling exhausted.

Monokuma rubbed his head, obviously not enjoying the chit-chat he was having with himself. “Ah, sad to say, but it seems I would have to be excuse for a bit. A bear must join with discourse, for I am but one for two. I don’t think I’ll be able to help start the game you’ll be playing until I settle things upstairs. Oh, but before I forget I should tell all of you something.

“Right now, we are currently in the center of Genesis City- Genesis Plaza, and it has four connecting paths.” He said. “Don’t go walking through them and try not to go into the community center up ahead, because it’s locked. Other than that, you should be fine. Now I can bid you all adieu.”

“Wait!” The lawyer cobra tried to strike. “What exactly did you mean by our the start of our-“

“Toodles!” And with that Monokuma disappeared into thin air, and all that cobra could do was stand there like an idiot with her mouth open.

“Aah! He’s gone.” Imayoshi looked around, expecting the small bear to pop up again.

“Uhm, what do we do now?” Kurosawa took his cap off and scratched his head. “Should we look around? I mean he did give us permission.”

“It seems that’s the only way we’ll get answers.” The punk girl said. “Whoever this Monokuma is, they’re probably just waiting for us to ‘broaden our horizons’ so to speak.” She rubbed the wrist where the monochrome watch was on. “No sense in letting it go to waste. Maybe we can get some answers.”

Auruka wanted to argue, but she held her tongue. She still couldn’t trust this Monokuma enough to just prance around without a care in the world. But if she wanted to stay on everyone’s good side, the least she could do was agree with them.

“An excursion is what definitely gives life meaning.” The white-haired boy smiled. “It’ll be fun.

“Then how about we simply look around this area.” A tall-looking girl with a scarce next to the boy tilted her head. “He said this central plaza has connecting paths, so we should avoid them until we searched every inch of this place.”

Akihisa shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever. If it’s the easier option, I don’t have a problem with that.”

“How about groups of two?” The blond haired gave what Auruka believed to be a charming smile to the girls. “That’ll make things easier, right ladies?”

The girl in the red dress raised her hand. “I nominate that all girls be with girls! Who’s with me?”

The girl in glasses smirked. “Wow, we’ve only been here for less than a half hour and already we have childish arguments about boy/girl groups. How quaint, how sad.”

The accented young man growled. “You just can’t keep that mouth of yours shut, can you?” He turned away and started walking away to the left of the group. He muttered “At least I don’t have to be with you all the damn time.”

The girl could only exclaim “I’m wounded! Oh, my heart, how it breaks!” She even made a show of kneeling and clutching her chest for dramatic effect. She looked up briefly at Auruka and flashed a smile and a wink.

“Moving on,” The punk girl simply put herself in front of the kneeling girl to hide her way from the others. “Why don’t we look around this plaza? See if we can find any clue as to our whereabouts?” There were a few brief nods and agreements while everyone began to look around in small groups. There was a clear lack of fear and suspicion, replaced mostly with smiles and enthusiasm. It made Auruka feel a tad better.

“Then I’ll be going. Bye.” Picking herself up, the girl curtsied before joint the girl in the red dress to look around; she almost seemed excited to have the messy haired girl with her. Once everyone left- either in groups or by themselves- Auruka found she and Hanako were the only ones left near the fountain. Hanako looked a bit nervous, but otherwise she was fine. Auruka relaxed, enjoying the slight mist from the fountain.

“Okay.” She said, brushing non-existent dirt from her skirt. “I guess that’ll what we should do. No sense in letting it got to waste.” She looked around, spotting what appeared to be a large stage a few feet away from the fountain. She decided there would be a good place to start.

Before she could reach it, she noticed a lack of footsteps, turning to Hanako still in the same spot, not even budging. That was weird.

“Uh, Amaya-chan?” Hanako looked up. “You coming?”

“Really?!” Auruka jumped from the girl’s exclamation. Hanako blushed. “Uh, I mean, is that okay?”

Catching herself, Auruka nodded. “Yeah, it’s better this way, right? Two heads are better than one.” She didn’t think Hanako actually thought they would separate, but it was better to be sure. “Plus, it’ll make it easier to talk to the others. I already feel a bit intimidated, even if I am a Super High School Level among her comrades.”

Hanako only smiled, and both of the girl’s concerns for one another vanished. “Okay! Uhm, where should we start?”

“Why don’t we start at the stage?” Auruka tilted her head in the direction of the stage. “I think there’s two people there over there- come one.” Hanako nodded, following Auruka as they headed to their destination.

Simply put, it was just a normal looking stage, mostly wooden with a metal lining. At the corners were steel pillars with miniature Monokuma heads at the tips, decorative string lights connecting the poles to one another; it was daylight so they were off. Auruka took note of a small gazebo ahead, and further ahead was a large facility made up of at least three buildings. In the center of the stage, twirling, was the girl in the red dress, and crouching on the floor near the stage was the glasses girl.

The girl in the red dress took notice of them, and exclaimed “Oh look, I spy two fair maidens up ahead! Hello maidens!” She jumped off the stage and ran to the duo, her large ponytail bouncing along with each step. “So what’s up?” Up close, Auruka was amazed at this girl’s looks and choice of clothing. She was a darker tan than Auruka believed, her skin seeming to sparkle, caramel colored eyes, and dark turquoise hair, with herself looking a bit mature for her age. Her hips were curvier than any of the other girls Auruka came across, and her _unmentionables_ would drive most horn dog men ragged if given the chance. The red dress she was wearing was also sparkling, ending at her knees and meet with black thigh high socks with purple swirls. Surprisingly she wore black sneakers.

Auruka couldn’t help the small inkling of jealousy, but she buried that with a smile at the girl. Hanako took this as her means of introducing herself. “Just an introduction, right Micho-chan?” Hanako asked. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Hanako Amaya and I’m the Super High School Level Medium.”

Auruka followed. “I’m Auruka Micho, the Super High School Level Defense Attorney.”

“Oh?” The girl grinned, pushing back a few loose strands of hair. She put her hands on her hips, flipping her hair back. She winked at the two. “Well ladies, prepare yourself as you’re in the presence of a circus extraordinaire! From the mystical, marvelous, and any other m-whatevers, Midnight Maladies, comes the majestic milady Diana ‘Snapback’ Valentine!” Shouting to the heavens, she spun on her heel before curtsying. “Coming here live to Genesis City as the Super High School Level Street Performer!”

* * *

**Diana Valentine- Super High School Level Street Performer**

* * *

 

Auruka didn’t even understand herself, but she could only applaud in response to that, Hanako following more enthusiastically. “Wow!” she said. “That looked amazing!”

Diana grinned. “I knew you would say something like that! Unlike some people,” She waved at the other girl who was coming over, “You know how to appreciate a performer’s need to shine, right? As a girl who was raised in the circus life, I demand attention to grow, like the elegant sunflower that follows the spotlight!”

“You were raised in a circus?” Auruka asked.

“Yep. I was part of a little traveling group called the Midnight Maladies.” Diana noticed their blank stares. “We only did shows around Europe just to let you know. Fortunately, my performing talent let Hope’s Peak Academy take me in, and I was super excited too! This is gonna be like my first ever day in school, in like ever!”

“Which would explain your lack of common sense.” The messy haired girl pushed her glasses up making them glint. “But I’ll forgive you Diana, just this once.”

Diana looked confused, as did the girls. “For what?”

“Why for being the most simpleminded girl I’d have the misfortune of laying my eyes on.” The girl sneered. “Honestly, it’s a wonder Hope’s Peak would choose someone with no proper education.”

Auruka frowned, the insults this girl was making were definitely out of place in this calm environment. What gave her the right anyway? Auruka glanced at Diana, expecting the same grimace on her face, but was surprised to see Diana stifling a laugh.

“That the best you got?” she chuckled. “Cause believe me, I’ve been called worse. Mostly referring to this bazongas that people call my tits, or that I’m slutty-looking jailbait, heck one guy told me I put out more that the local whore!” She let out a hearty laugh at the shocked expressions on the others. “C’mon Mandy, you gotta put it you’re all when insulting people. For me, make sure they would sting if I was delicate like these two girls!”

Auruka couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This girl was actually going along with finding ways to insult herself, even giving pointers! She knew she should expect some weirdness with the others, but this was too much.

Mandy sighted, looking quite bored. “You are a tough one Diana, but I should expect that. On the other hand, those two seem quite easy to mess with.” In a blink of an eye, she was eye level with Auruka causing Auruka to jump back in surprise. “I like you already.” She said, making a chill go up Auruka’s spine.

Mandy was shorter than Auruka, and probably Hanako as well. Her appearance was disheveled, like she didn’t have a chance to make herself look nice, her purple sweater had a hint of a light brown blouse poking out, cream colored slacks, and topped off with red shoes. Her black hair was messy and tangled, like it hadn’t once been in contact with a brush, and her skin was paler than anything Auruka had even seen. Her dark blue eyes were scrutinizing Auruka from behind the squared light purple glasses she had.

Auruka felt Hanako shuffling from behind her, nervous being in this girl’s presence. Something about it screamed, ‘I know I’m better than you. What about it?’ and Auruka didn’t know how to react to something like this.

Actually, no. There was something she could do when faced with something like this, just as she had in her more difficult cases. Fake it. Auruka steadied herself, her pulse returning to a steadier beat, “The feeling’s mutual. If you didn’t catch my name it’s Auruka Micho, the Super High School Level Defense Attorney and this,” She moved to the side allowing Mandy to meet Hanako, “is Hanako Amaya, the Super High School Level Medium. You are…?”

Mandy paused, her face blank for a moment, before a Cheshire grin appeared, obviously realizing what Auruka was doing. “I am the elite, the product of the evolution mankind has gone through, the one who will one day rule this world as its motherly leader, and my title only further displays that future that I will one day succeed.” She cackled at the girls, her eyes filled with malicious intent. “Kneel before me, for I am Mandy Dimuc the Super High School Level World Leader!”

* * *

**Mandy Dimuc- Super High School Level World Leader**

* * *

 

“Just kidding!” The demonic face melted into a childish one, her tongue sticking out. “It’s the Super High School Level Brainiac.”

* * *

**Mandy Dimuc- Super High School Level Brainiac**

* * *

 

Mandy could only grab her stomach as she doubled over laughing, the expressions on Hanako and Auruka were too much for her to take. Diana’s smile was a bit strained, but otherwise she didn’t seem that surprised at Mandy’s actions. Either she was used to this kind of stuff, or she just managed to get to really know Mandy in that short amount of time. Auruka could feel respect for Diana.

“That was kind of mean, Dimuc-san.” Hanako said, obviously peeved at Mandy’s stunt. “You gave me a heart attack with what you said.”

“Ufufufufu~ I just can’t help myself. As the heir to my family’s legacy, I just can’t help but mock the youth.”

“Your family’s legacy?” Auruka questioned.

Mandy chuckled. “Yes. You see, I’m the bastard heir who will lead my adoptive family to ruin. Using a mask that drains mere mortals of their blood, I will rise up against my adoptive brother, Jonathon-“

“That reference is years too late!” Auruka exclaimed, already realizing that Mandy was pulling her leg. Mandy only smiled, her lips curled in a mixture of amusement and wickedness.

This, Auruka thought, was definitely someone she should watch out for.

“Um, Dimuc-san.” Hanako pointed over at the stage, curiosity in her eyes. “Did you and Valentine-san find anything out about this place?”

“Call me Diana, Hanako. Same with Mandy, okay? You too Auruka.”

Hanako blushed, before nodding. Auruka did so too.

Mandy looked over at the stage, “Nothing important. But then again, we’ve yet to search the entirety of this area. Which makes one wonder,” Her smile disappeared, now actually concerned.

“Why exactly are we here?”

“Thank you.” Auruka sighed, not even realizing she said it out loud.

“Seems we’re supposed to look around and ‘broaden our horizons’ so says the great Monokuma. Even though, we have no reason to, other than the fact it might be tied as to why we’re here.”

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Diana said. “But I don’t think we’re getting answers around here. All we found was just that this is a stage. Probably for events and performances, but other than that, nothing.”

Still, it wasn’t nothing for Auruka. Anything counted in the long run, in life or in court. Since it seemed that Diana and Mandy had covered everything here, maybe she and Hanako could look somewhere else. Maybe someone else found something. The two said their goodbyes and headed to the nearest point of interest, which wasn’t far off.

Auruka tried to laugh from Mandy’s exclamation of “I’ll make sure that I save a spot for you in my Oración Seis!” but she couldn’t stop herself from getting as far away as she could from her. Hanako didn’t seem to mind either, and for that she was grateful.

Up ahead was the gazebo, two people Auruka recognized in the trio investigating it. The gazebo itself however, stood out the most in the environment. It was polished and new-looking, the entirety of it painted in a Monokuma scheme- one side of it was completely white, the other side black. It was certainly bigger than most gazebos, probably able to seat maybe everyone here. Sitting inside, Keiichi and Imayoshi were with side by side, and another familiar face was one Imayoshi’s other side. The blond boy from earlier.

“And then, and then, Soracchi helped me out with this test I had!” The more Keiichi talked, the more his arms moved about. “She gave me this notebook and she made sure I studied before and after I came to school, and we had note cards that made things easier! She’s a really, really, really cool person!”

“No way, Kei-chan is way cooler!” Imayoshi was blushing, but smiling. “Kei-chan can do amazing things when he cheers with everyone that makes everyone excited. Don’t you agree, Mu-kun?”

The blond boy was flustered. “M…Mu-kun? Me…?” Before he could reply, his eyes flickered over to the girls near the gazebo’s steps. “H-Hey.” Was all he could say, his personality different than what Auruka had seen before.

“Oh! You two.” Imayoshi got up from her seat. “How are you- Aah!” Auruka and Hanako moved away as fast as they could, Imayoshi tripping on her feet and falling not just on the floor, but down the steps as well.

“Again?! Are you okay?” Auruka and Hanako got down and tried to help Imayoshi up, but Imayoshi sprung back on her feet.

“Totally fine!” She made sure to brush off any dirt on her body. “Nothing bad to worry over! A teacher has to be prepared for any danger! No matter what she can’t make her students worry!” The blond boy let out a sigh of relief, as did Hanako and Auruka. Keiichi let out a short laugh.

Up close, Auruka had a hard time figuring out this girl’s talent. Everyone else she met looked the part, save maybe Akihisa and Mandy, and this girl probably was something cute or girl related.

Her light blonde hair was short and curled, a small and elegant yellow crown resting on top and tied down with a black ribbon. Her eyes were the biggest and the brightest pink she ever laid eyes on, and her skin looked soft to the touch, and her outfit was just as adorable. Her pink blouse had a red ribbon on the front collar, a puffy yellow bell skirt, knee high white socks, and white flats. She would rather belong in a children’s book, Auruka thought.

What she said, however, caught Auruka’s attention. “Teacher?”

“Yes?” Imayoshi looked up at Auruka. “Oh, you meant- I mean- Of course that’s what… Sorry! Let me start over, please?”

“Right, introductions!” With that she slapped her cheeks, startling the two while Keiichi grinned. “Uhm…It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I’m sorry about before. My name is Sora Imayoshi and I’m the Super High School Level Teacher. Again, it’s nice to meet you.”

* * *

**Sora Imayoshi- Super High School Level Teacher**

* * *

 

“A teacher, really?” Hanako looked surprised. “But you’re so, well, young.”

Maybe she taught elementary school kids, probably kindergartners?

“Age is but a number!” Sora immediately had her hand raised. “A vital life lesson that all teachers need to know. I may be young, but my teaching abilities are top-notch. Of course, I have been doing it since I was young so my skill as a teacher is A+,” she scratched her head. “Once I understand the material.”

Keiichi joined in. “All Soracchi needs to do is read a textbook on a subject and she can teach it back, no problem! She’s the amazing teacher that everyone needs! All ages and all grades, she can handle it all.”

Auruka was impressed, to say the least that this girl actually could teach anyone. But, standing near this girl, there was some kind of motherly nature surrounding her. Auruka could count on her hand teachers like that, the ones that cared about a student’s welfare and safety than their grades. Nice to know that was the kind of teacher Sora is. Where was she when Auruka needed her?

“Kei-chan is too much!” Sora said. “But I am glad I’m able to be a part of this field trip, with all of the others. Ah, but I’m sorry that I made a terrible first impression, Auru-chan, Hana-Chan.”

“Auru-chan?!” “Hana-chan?”

“A teacher must easily connect with her students!” Sora gave a determined look at the girls. “While I don’t condone teacher-student relationships, I greatly support teacher and student relationships! How we are and how I am should not be held back by something as horrendous as dating!”

“What?” She totally lost her there.

“Mister Monokuma must feel the same way to, right?” Why was she changing the subject?! “If he’s a teacher too, then that means we can totally trust him. A teacher never lies!” Sora scrunched her nose. “Ah, but the gazebo doesn’t seem suspicious at all. It’s quite comfortable.”

Hanako gave an odd look, but Auruka could figure it meant something like, ‘She doesn’t have much of a one-track mind, does she?’

“Excuse me. Don’t you think I should I should get my introduction down with these two?” The blonde waved at Auruka. “I would like to be in the presence of these two beautiful maidens, Imayoshi-chan.” He offered a wink and a sparkling smile to the girls.

Auruka could admit the boy was good-looking, but he definitely was trying too hard. His hair was obviously dyed and styled to the side, his skin was a light tan, and he had the build that matched with most guys you’d see in magazines. His clothes were the same as well; the white and gold t-shirt, the leather jacket over it, jeans, and black shoes were all a part of something from various media. She could at least admit that his light blue eyes were his best point.

Hanako snorted. “Sorry, but I think we already heard that line.”

As light blush dusted his cheeks as turned his head to the side. “O-Oh, is that so? W-Well who can blame anyone? Obviously you two girls are just fine examples of natural beauty, and I can confidently say that you deserve all compliments from the world.”

“What a charmer…” Auruka muttered.

“ _Minobecchi_!” Keiichi whispered not so discretely. “ _Introduce yourself_!” Sora stood by Keiichi’s side, offering a thumbs up.

“Huh? Oh right. I’m Isamu Minobe, and I dearly hope we can much more than friends in the not so distant future.”

* * *

**Isamu Minobe- Super High School Level Good Luck**

* * *

 

Auruka and Hanako introduced their selves as well.

Auruka was the first to ask “So Minobe-kun, what’s your talent?” And Isamu’s shoulders slumped, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Well, I guess, from what I can go for…” He felt two pats on his back, omen hard, the other delicate. “I don’t have any memory of being super talented or anything, so my safest guess would have to be the Super High School Level Good Luck. You know, the yearly lottery?”

Oh, so he was supposed to be the lottery winner. Auruka recalled how every year, Hope’s Peak would hold a lottery for a random ordinary student to join the ranks of Hope’s Peak Academy’s student body, with their talent based solely on their luck. Every year, three students would be invited with the respective titles, based on their academic grade level: Elementary, Junior High, and High School.

So that would make Isamu just an ordinary guy, from an ordinary world. Huh. Auruka couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the guy, not having any exceptional talent.

“See, I know that expression.” He said. “Dear Micho-chan, don’t feel pity for someone like me. In fact, I did say that I’m guessing that I’m Good Luck, right?”

“Huh? What do you ‘you guess’?”

Isamu only grinned. “Well, I know that I don’t remember ever being told that I’m the Super High School Level Good Luck. I know that I don’t remember being given the winning slip from the lottery, and I know for a fact that I definitely was supposed to go to Hope’s Peak.” He looked back at Sora and Keiichi, who had beaming grins, obviously waiting for the moment.

“So while I can say that I’m the Super High School Level Good Luck, there’s also a possibility that I have a talent and I forgot it.” Auruka’s eyes widened. “So maybe I could be called…”

* * *

**Isamu Minobe- Super High School Level ???**

* * *

 


	3. Prologue III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired... But even still, I need to finish!

After saying their goodbyes, the two decided to look around the area before going for the main buildings up ahead. While initially believing that that the area was more open, Auruka was shocked to see they were blocked off. Black wire fences surrounded the plaza, and when she and Hanako checked, they went off into corners north and south from where they were. Basically they were surrounded in all four sides in the plaza.

Auruka gripped the chain link. “You think this was what Monokuma said about us not being able to go through the other paths? Cause I can’t see any way we can go through without climbing.” On the other side of this part of the fence was a familiar cobblestone path that melted into a grove of trees and vines. Around it was just an open field of lawn cut grass. Her curiosity was itching to go check it out.

“Seems that way. That Monokuma fellow obviously wants us here and here alone. And what better way to make us behave then trapping us?” A familiar looking boy waved at the girls. Following him were two more. “Fancy seeing you gals here!”

“Handsome Foreigner-kun!” Hanako blurted out before covering her mouth in shock. Auruka choked while the black haired boy from earlier froze, and the two behind him said nothing. Auruka recognized the snarky white haired boy and could recognize the other by the scarf she was wearing.

“Ah, I- You and –Uh!” Hanako sputtered, face aflame and arms flailing about. She reminded Auruka of those inflatable tubes on promotional events. “What I meant was, you see… I mean you’re not handsome, I mean you are! But a foreigner should- not saying you are! You- I’m- You’re very pretty!” She grabbed Auruka’s arm, sweating profusely. “Micho-chan, help me!” What was she supposed to do? Hanako already dug the grave, tripped in it, and dropped the casket right on top of her; she was far too gone to save.

The boy laughed, his emerald eyes twinkling. “Wow, are all Japanese girls so easy to catch? Man, and I thought I’d have a hard time with everyone here. Though, I can’t blame you for falling for me in just a single moment- I do have that effect on girls.”

While it seemed that Isamu was trying too hard, this guy didn’t even seem to care. The naturally black hair brushed to the side and shielding his left eye, the naturally pale complexion that bettered him than it did Mandy, and that build of his that told you he worked to maintain it- Auruka had to will away her brush just to be friendly! The light gray turtleneck suited him, and on top was a tan double-breasted jacket, black skinny jeans, and brown loafers. He was definitely a Handsome Foreigner-kun.

He stopped, realizing something. “Ah, but before I forget. Nice to meet you, I’m Jude Beckett. I sincerely hope we can have a wonderful time together. Although, I’m partial to not be anywhere with Mandy. Understandably.”

* * *

**Jude Beckett- Super High School Level Escapist**

* * *

 

“And I thought it right for you to know that I’m the Super High School Level Escapist.” He winked at the girls, making Hanako flush. “Basically getting out of most traps and locked rooms in no time flat.”

“So you can escape from anything? That’s kind of amazing.” Auruka said, only to pause. “What was that about Dimuc-chan?”

Jude crossed his arms, looking peeved. “I don’t know if you noticed, but she’s not the easiest person to get along with. Believe me, I was with her in that stupid elevator for a while and I tried to escape after one minute! I mean the girl knows how to dig at you, right?”

Auruka could kinda agree with that. Anyone who could make a beautiful man miserable was definitely not a good person- what was she thinking?

“I’m not sure about that, right?” The young looking boy spoke up, looking up at the other girl. “If her insults could hurt Jude-san, than would they really be so harsh? Or is it that Jude-san’s hide isn’t so tough?” He giggled at Jude’s shocked expression, his eyes cloudy yet full of mischief.

Auruka could definitely see a comparison between this kid and the girl she met earlier. Seems Mandy has some competition, she thought.

While not the shortest, he definitely looked the youngest, his body small and thin almost like a child’s. His hair was short and bleached white in a perpetual state of bedhead, with some of his bangs held back by a violet hairclip. His skin was an unhealthy-looking shade like Mandy’s and while his eyes were the lightest blue she’d ever seen they were also murky looking, almost fractured like a broken mirror.

His entire outfit was as pale as he was- the white polo, light purple pants, black shoes, and all topped off with a cerulean jacket tied around his waist. Auruka was almost afraid she would go right through him if she touched him.

The girl behind him was a different story; Auruka had to crane her neck up just to look her directly in the eye! Her hairstyle was a bit odd, with most of her light pink hair short cropped, save for the two large buns on either side of her head. Her gray eyes blinked, almost void of any emotion, as she tucked on the large scarf she had around her neck. It was just clumps of fabric stitched together, probably as long as the girl was tall, with the ends almost reaching the floor.

Her outfit was seemingly fashionable, surprisingly. Her short sleeved white blouse looked a bit too tight, especially with the rather large bust she had, and there were a random assortment of buttons adorning the waist of her tan knee-length skirt.

The tall girl spoke. “I take it you wish for our introductions.” Her voice was neutral, not missing a beat, yet there was a hint of worry. The boy looked up at the girl, smiling.

“Oh, introductions? Alright then, here I go.” He walked over to Auruka, but not really looking directly at her, which to her seemed odd. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you girls. My name is Yoshi Yomohiro. I consider it a pleasure and a gift to be with all of you here.”

* * *

**Yoshi Yomohiro- Super High School Level Storyteller**

* * *

 

The tall girl bowed. “I will perform my introduction then, as well. Saluhations. I am Miki Okazaki, and it is logical to assume that I am the Super High School Level Seamstress. Ice to meet you.”

* * *

**Miki Okazaki- Super High School Level Seamstress**

* * *

 

It took a minute to process this girl’s words.

“Oh Miki-tan, how’s their expressions?” Yoshi puffed his cheeks and cradled them with his hands. “Are they confused, disoriented, or puzzled?”

“Moderate confusion at best.” Miki said, before tilting her head at Auruka. “I can apologize for myself, if you want.”

Yoshi pouted up at Miki. “Miki-tan shouldn’t apologize for herself. If anything, those two girls should apologize for being complete strangers. Hey!” He exclaimed, never once looking over at the girls. “Apologize and introduce yourselves! Make Miki-tan feel better over her speech issues!”

“Huh? O-Okay.” Auruka was a bit caught off-guard, glancing at Jude, his only response a shrug of the shoulders. “Um, I’m Auruka Micho, the Super High School Level Defense Attorney.” Sooner or later she would get tired of saying that, just not today.

“And I’m the Super High School Level Medium Hanako Amaya. Nice to meet you three, Jude-san, Yomohiro-kun, Okazaki-chan. Um, but why did Okazaki-chan talk like that?” Auruka felt it was best not to mention that, despite her own curiosity. Before Miki could answer Yoshi spoke up.

“Ara ara~ Miss Amaya is curious? Or is she ignorant~? Or both?” It was hard to tell if Yoshi was actually serious, but Hanako grimaced. “Miki-tan, do you want to tell her? Or can I?”

Miki only sighed, and from the look of things she wasn’t the only one who seemed tired. Jude didn’t really want to be a part of this. “I don’t think now is the time for play, Yoshi. You’re upsetting Amaya.”

Hanako sputtered. “That’s-! I didn’t mean it in a bad way! I’m sorry!”

“It is fine. You do not have to worry over pilled milk, or any other means of upsetting bee.” Miki pulled at a loose thread in her scarf, her hair buns bouncing along with her every move. “I just… do not have the means of communiplating with strangers, due to a verbal hick I developed.” Despite the slight shift of emotion, her expression never wavered. “It is because of this that my own conversations with Hoshi are different from the ones I glave with everyone else.”

“So I’m Hoshi now? How enlightening~!”

It took less than a minute for Auruka to decipher what Miki was saying. It also seemed that besides that...verbal issue, there was also a difference in how Miki conversed with them- while with Yoshi she was more relaxed, with the others she was monotone and almost emotionless. Like the two sides of the same coin, she thought.

Yoshi stopped, horror enveloping his face. “Oh no! I forgot to introduce my talent!” He scratched at his head, but it almost seemed like he was rubbing it. “Aw Yomohiro, what’s wrong with you!? How could you think you can let anyone steal you wind? Miki-tan, Jude-san!” He grabbed Miki’s hand, and surprisingly missing Jude’s, even as he stood nearby. “Let us three unite and explain the very definition on how we earned our talents. Ready, go!”

Jude grumbled under his breath “I swear you two could be distant relatives with this bullshit.”

“You get used to it.” Miki said.

“Well you already heard me talk about me being the Super High School Level Escapist, but you don’t know why.” Jude continued, now seemingly into the conversation. _Is it because it’s focused on him_ , Auruka thought. “I’m famous around most of the UK as the reincarnation of Houdini himself! Not only can I escape any trap set, I once managed to avoid imminent death from the dreaded Schrodinger’s Trap!” He puffed out his chest proudly, even though most of it went over Auruka’s head.

Next was Miki. “I am the youngest fashion designer in the country, and I lead the teenage hopulation with my resigns. Although, I mostly consider myself just a young girl who wants to press in a fashionable tile. I do hope I can comb up with some new concepts to lose.”

So she was a fashion mogul? If Auruka was more into fashion and what she was wearing, then maybe she would have recognized her. Oddly enough, that seemed to be with everyone she encountered. Maybe she should get out more.

“My talent is the lesser compared to Miki-tan’s.” Yoshi said. “Don’t you think Miki-tan? Having something like the Super High School Level Storyteller just sounds outright childish, almost like having a lame talent! But,” he hummed “It really seems ironic someone of my caliber has a talent like that.”

“Why would you say that?” Auruka asked.

“Because I’m blind, you know?”

She blinked, “Huh?”

“I’m blind.” He said. “Legally speaking, I’m blind, even if my eyes can see. Funny, huh-” Yoshi pulled down the bottom of his eyelids, grinning. “My sight is more distorted and fizzy than what most people are used to. Like a kaleidoscope of color and shapes.” Auruka couldn’t help but lean in, fixated on the cloudy look in his eyes, obviously proving his disability.

“Can you really just barely see?” she asked.

“More or less. I can recognize some shapes, but I’m not really the guy you would ever want behind a wheel. But even if I have barely passable sight, my words can reach anyone’s heart.” His tone shifted to a gentler one. “All you need is an experience to inspire others with your tales.”

The boy was deep, she could admit. Yet she still couldn’t the cold remarks he made earlier in the warehouse now that she recognized his voice. She might have to be careful around a few of these people.

Yoshi closed his eyes, the smile never leaving. “Ah, but I have Miki-tan here to act as my personal seeing-eye buddy. Right, Miki-tan?”

Miki patted his head in response. “Whatever you wish to think. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you harass anyone.” With that she grabbed his ear and twisted it.

“Gah! Miki-tan is too cruel!” He pulled away and started rubbing the sore earlobe, pouting at Miki. “Just because you bigger than me doesn’t mean you can bully me.” The two continued the childish squabble while Auruka looked on with an unreadable expression.

“Sorry about them,” Jude apologized to the girls. Despite his cheerful attitude earlier, he looked tired right now. “I’ll be honest with you- I’m just as surprised as you are with them. They really don’t seem like the kind of people,” he sighed. “But just my luck, huh?”

“W-Well, I mean. The two of them don’t seem that bad,” Auruka looked over Jude’s shoulder at Miki swinging her body around, Yoshi trapped in her arms and screaming in what she believed to be joy. “Ah, but then again…”

“Oh that’s right! You girls probably don’t know!” Yoshi giggled, his eyes swirling. “Miki-tan, please put me down.” At his request, she let go, with Yoshio swaying side-to-side. He shook his head to get his bearings. “Okay, this may come to a shocker but it appears that this situation is the same everywhere else. What I mean to say is that this black fence isn’t the only one around here.

“Miki-tan, Jude-san, and I were able to take a quick tour around the area. The so-called ‘plaza’ we’re in is a simple box walled in; the ways to get to what I believe are other parts of Genesis City are blocked with these fences. From the North, the South, East, and West to be more precise.”

“The only paces not closed off for the lime being are the community center over hare-” Miki pointed over to a large building near the center of the plaza. “And the two stories on either side of it, as well as the warehouse we were housed in.”

“Pfft.” Yoshi snickered. “ _Warehouse we were housed_ _in…_ ”

This new information was surprising, and Auruka couldn’t help the chills she felt. The longer they were here, the more questions were raised. First the memory loss, the watches, Monokuma, this city… none of it made any sense whatsoever. Would Hope’s Peak, such a refined and prestigious school, actually do something like this to their new students?

“Micho-chan? You okay?” Hanako tugged on Auruka’s sleeve.

“Y-Yeah. Just a bit overwhelmed.” Auruka didn’t want to cause much worry to Hanako, so she tried her best to quell her nerves.

“A-Anyway,” she said. “If you three went around the plaza, then there’s really nothing interesting?”

Jude nodded. “That’s right. The pathways are blocked off and we’re surrounded by those black fences. I’d wager we could climb them, but I’m pretty sure that Monokuma fellow wouldn’t want that.”

“Why bring up Monokuma?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. He definitely seems like the type who would punish without thinking. Of course I’ll make sure you girls won’t have to worry about any trouble.” He winked and gave a dazzling smile at the girls. “I’ll be there to lend a hand- maybe something more?”

“Ne, ne, Miki-tan, Jude-san is trying to hook up with total strangers! How lewd~”

Jude sputtered, his cheeks a little red. “I believe so, how pitiable for a man to want to shack with the young.” Miki grabbed his hand. “Yoshi, perhaps a man like him deserves proper etiquette from two pristine young high-school students like you and I.”

With that she grabbed his collar, and with almost Herculean strength dragged him by the heels away from the two girls. He tried hard to fight her, but it was impossible. “H-Hey! Stop that now!” The two- or rather Miki- went towards the direction on the line of apartments, while Yoshi trailed behind them. He gave a small wave goodbye to Hanako and Auruka, grinning like a hyena.

For Auruka, this day just seemed to get weirder. But she would put that aside until she met everyone else, and then she would put down just how weird this whole thing was. The walk to the aforementioned community center wasn’t far to begin with, sitting behind the stage and gazebo that the others were at. But it seemed that the five that the row met earlier were nowhere to be seen, probably off searching elsewhere.

The two girls headed off in silence, with Auruka not feeling the usual awkwardness she felt when with a new person, especially someone her own age. Surprisingly enough, she realized, she hadn’t that with anyone else. Terror, panic, embarrassment, and irritation, yes, but no full-on awkwardness.

That’s weird, she thought. Why wasn’t she at all on edge with all these new people? In fact, the only person she felt any feeling on unease was Mono-

“Hope’s Peak sure picked an odd bunch, huh Micho-chan?”

Hanako’s words startled her thought process. They were already at their destination, outside the store on the far right apparently. They noticed through the open doors that there was a young black haired girl in a white dress looking around, but she seemed preoccupied and hadn’t noticed them yet. Hanako didn’t pay much mind as she was fiddling with her bracelets.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Auruka replied. “But I guess that’s to be expected you know? The most talented kids from around have to stand out among everyone else.” She scratched her cheek. “So maybe compared to them, we’re might be a bit odd too.”

She looked up, her eyes twinkling. “Really? Hmm, maybe so. Oh, but actually, I need to ask you something Micho-chan.”

“What is it?”

“What IS your talent? I mean, how did you get it? Everyone here has a story, so I was just wondering, I’ll even tell you about me if you want!”

“Is that it? Okay. Let’s see…“ She made of show of trying to remember, but she always loved telling people about this. “Well I am the Super High School Level Defense Attorney, and I’m the youngest one in the world of the judicial system. I only defend people who I know are innocent, and my record is clearly spotless; people have even called me the Courtroom Queen since no one can dare defy the queen’s orders. And you?”

Hanako “I don’t think I can top that, but here I go. I’m a very spiritual girl with my sixth sense of the other side, delivering messages from beyond the grave. I help people know that they’re loved ones are in a better place, and I’m kinda a big deal in the occult community. What else- oh yeah- I also have a small following at the temple I live at. Just some fans and such, nothing too crazy.”

“Whoa. You might be famous than myself!”

The two burst into laughter, drawing the attention of the girl from inside the store. With an almost dainty walk, she stepped out. “Excuse me? Did you two wanted to see me?”

Her light blue eyes shone with the same level of kindness Sora had, and her fair skin was almost like porcelain. Her waist length hair was sleek and shiny, half of it tied up with a pink ribbon, while wearing a formal white sleeveless, knee-length dress, another- larger- pink ribbon pinned to the right side, silver ballet flats, and a silver locket around her neck. She was, in essence, as beautiful as a doll.

“Or did you want to check out the store? You know you can come in, right?” she laughed merrily. She walked back inside and the two followed, greeted by a nice blast of cool air. The store itself, was stocked full of clothing and accessories. The décor was typical of a modern shop, but the lack of people made the whole place unsettling.

“What a drag, you know?” The girl picked up a folded shirt from one of the shelves. “A whole store filled to the brim with cute clothes and only sixteen people to share with.” She puffed out her cheeks. “It’s more fun when the place is full of people!

“Oh, where are my manners? I should introduce myself, right? My name is Kanade Maiyuri. From myself and to you, it’s nice to meet you. Heart.” She made a small heart sign with her hands, winking, while the shirt fell to the floor.

* * *

**Kanade Maiyuri- Super High School Level Pianist**

* * *

 

“I’m the Super High School Level Pianist, and I excel in everything related to the grand piano, so you can probably get why I got scouted for Hope’s Peak.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Maiyuri-san. I’m Auruka Micho, the Super High School Level Defense Attorney.”

“And I’m Hanako Amaya, Super High School Level Medium. Are you really that good at piano?”

“Yep. I’ve won countless awards and medals, and I’ve performed with Japan’s finest in concerts.” Kanade smiled, not even realizing she was not standing on the discarded shirt. “But to be honest, I’ve never been more excited than I am now! Being a part of Hope’s Peak and meeting all my classmates is truly exciting, that I don’t been care that we’re in this place! I can’t wait to make friends with everyone.”

Auruka couldn’t help but smile back at Kanade’s positive attitude; she wasn’t as concerned over the situation as most others, and it did ease up her mood. Just knowing that there were a few people like that around here was reassuring.

Hanako seemed to understand that too. “Maiyuri-chan, you’re totally right! Meeting everyone here is already a dream, that I can’t help but pinch myself.”

“I totally get it! There are so many talented people here, like Imayoshi-san, Valentine-san, Morita-kun, and even Ikeda-san. There’s too many to count, so why not count them all?”

“Um, not to interrupt,” Auruka waved at Kanade. “Who are Ikeda-san and Morita-kun?”

Kanade paused. “Did you guys not meet them yet? Oh, in that case, you should probably check the store on the left side. And the community center. Speaking of…” She seemed to remember something as she went over to the nearest clothes rack. “Imayoshi-san would definitely look good in this…” she began muttering.

Seeing this, the two girls waved goodbye and exited the store, heading straight to the other one on the far left.

While the one on the right was full of clothing, this one was stocked with good and miscellaneous supplies. It looked like a typical supermarket, with rows of snacks and food, and an odd variety of items, including pool toys, camping equipment, and school supplies. There was no one astound, save for one boy had hid back to the girls, continuously flicking a pinwheel in his hand.

Auruka walked up to him and tapped him on his back. “Excuse me, I don’t think we me-“

“Gaaahh!”

The boy recoiled, turning around and letting Auruka get a proper look at him, his back hitting the shelf and causing a few cans to hit the floor.

His violet eyes were looking in every direction but at Auruka, and he had his head hanging low, the shaggy silver hair taking most of her attention. Despite his build and stature, he was nervous and fidgeting; wearing a white dress shirt under a black suit vest, dark blue jeans with his left leg rolled up halfway oddly enough, his white sneakers, and a black duffel bag strapped to his back, he looked posh and composed for a brief second. He began twisting and tugging on the strap, his face scrunched in nervousness.

Auruka was stunned. “S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you!”

Hanako reached out to offer help. “Are you okay? That looked like it hurt-“

“D-D…Don’t!” He jumped away again, his expression now fearful. “P-Please…!”

“Oy! Robin-kun!” said a voice from behind the boy. A hand clapped on his shoulder. “Check out the stuff we found!”

“Gaaahh!” He jumped once more and hid behind the nearest thing he could find, Hanako. Hanako peeked over at her shoulder and was face-to-face with him, before he screamed once more and ran behind a shelf while Hanako screamed as well and fell to the floor.

“Are you okay, Amaya-chan?” Auruka looked over at Hanako’s slightly frazzled appearance.

“Y-Yeah. I’m sadly used to screaming near my face.” She grimaced. “I was with stuck with Yoshikazu-kun longer than you were…”

As Auruka reached down and pulled her up, the other boy groaned. “Oh… Right sorry about that. I forgot.” He chuckled nervously, while scratching the back of his head.

He was a thin, pale looking guy- not as pale as Yoshi- with short spiked blue-tinted hair under a gray flat cap, and neon blue eyes behind thick blue rimmed glasses. He was sporting a gray waistcoat vest, a blue dress shirt poking out from the vest bottom with rolled up sleeves, and a monochrome checkered scarf over it, black capris and black combat boots. He looked straight out of a fashion magazine in Auruka’s eyes.

“Hey, was that Robinson?” A concerned voice rang from farther in the store, before heading towards them. “Kurosawa, what the hell did you- Oh? New people.” Another guy, big surprise. He reminded her of Keiichi, surprisingly. He was tan and muscular, with sun bleached blond hair and sharp brown eyes. She immediately took notice of the diamond stud in his right ear, and he was wearing a long-sleeved pine green athletic shirt, jean shorts, and gray sneakers.

He took one look at the scene before settling on the silver haired boy trying his best to hide. He sighed. “Seriously? Again? How is it that I can handle this better than- Argh! Whatever…” He plucked the nearest windmill toy from the shelf and pushed Hanako and Auruka to the side as he went over to the boy. “Oy. Look at this.” He held the toy in front of him and blew on it.

For a second there was silence, Auruka voicing her concern. “Wha-“ before being shushed by the boy in the cap. The boy peeked out, settling his eyes on the windmill before snatching it from his hands. His posture immediately straightened and his face returned to a neutral state as he began spinning it, coming out from his hiding spot.

“Geez, Kurosawa didn’t you say you were gonna stick with Robinson?”

“Well, I did. But then I found these paints, and then I thought that paint would go great with some chips- not together of course!- and then I found some cool looking placemats-“

“Whatever.” He glanced over at Auruka and Hanako, shrugging his shoulders. “Yo, sorry about that. But it’s kind of your fault in the first place for starling Robinson like that. The guy doesn’t handle people beryl well.”

“Uh, no, I should apologize.” Auruka sputtered. “I didn’t even realize that something like this would happen. Again, I’m sorry… uh…”

“Right, the name’s Kaishi Morita. What’s up?”

* * *

**Kaishi Morita- Super High School Level Water Polo Player**

* * *

 

“Oh! You’re Morita-kun that Maiyuri-san was talking about.” She pointed at the other two. “And you guys are…?”

The capped boy waved. “Hi there! I’m Kousuke Kurosawa and I’m the Super High School Level Tattoo Artist! I know, pretty amazing right? Right?”

* * *

**Kousuke Kurosawa- Super High School Level Tattoo Artist**

* * *

 

The other boy had stopped spinning his pinwheel, bowing with a nervous frown on his face.

“M-My name’s Nathaniel Robinson.” He stuttered. “I’m a, a fencer. Hopefully we can get…along.”

* * *

**Nathaniel Robinson- Super High School Level Fencer**

* * *

 

The two introduced themselves as well, before Auruka spoke up. “So, then you’re a tattoo artist, and you’re a fencer.”

“Yep. I’m amazing in the world of tattoos!” Kousuke was bouncing on his feet. “Creating artwork with ink and the body as your canvas is a marvel all in your own! I didn’t think my tattoos would be good enough to get scouted, but hey, it’s amazing!”

“What about you Robinson-kun?” Hanako asked, keeping a considerable distance from him.

“…I fence. Really good, enough to win trophies.” He flicked the windmill again, before continuing. “I’ve won tournaments back in America, and I’ve even managed to earn some for… things I do, I guess. I just like fencing, I suppose.” He seemed more relaxed than earlier, so that was a good sign.

“And you, Morita-kun?”

“Well Micho-chan, I’m glad you asked. I’m the Super High School Level Water Polo Player, and I can definitely 100%, absolute truth, tell you that it sucks!” He screamed, eyes aflame.

“Eh? Why?”

He crossed his arms. “Well, what kind of school only scouts one person from a sport that obviously needs a team?! Sure I led the team the victory numerous times, but it’s still a _team_! It’s doesn’t really make much sense to just get one person- you can’t win soccer with one man! It’s like making you’re first homerun on the first day you ever pick up a bat, like eating tofu without soy sauce, or having a skirt length that covers the knees! _Impossible_!”

Auruka looked on in disbelief. “Right. I… Think I get it. Wait, what was that about skirts?”

Hanako ignored it and raised her hand. “That aside, is there anything around here that might be interesting?”

While Kaishi continued his rant, Kousuke shook his head. “Nothing that interesting. Just food and stuff. Food and stuff, that makes a supermarket. Hey did that sound catchy to anyone?” Nathaniel wasn’t paying much mind to him or Kaishi.

“Okay then…” Auruka grabbed Hanako’s hand and gripped tight. “If you guys are okay with it, then we’ll just keep looking around. We’ll see you guys later.” She made a mad dash out the store, Hanako in tow, while Kaishi kept ranting about sportsmanship and camaraderie and the other two were doing whatever.

All Auruka could say was “What a bunch of weirdos.”

Hanako nodded. “That’s true. But doesn’t that make them more interesting?” _In what way_ , she thought.

Finally, the last place to check out in the area was the fabled community center everyone was talking about. The stores barely stood a chance against it, the entire building was almost all glass, and you could see right through the walls. Stepping through the automated doors, the center was full of various items and equipment, shining underneath a massive skylight. On the side were a couple of retro arcade machines, alongside a few vending machines. In the middle were foldable tables dotting around, with a small door with a sign that said KITCHEN near the back. On the left and right side were two hallways leading further ahead.

And sitting down at one of the tables was the punk girl from earlier.

She had already noticed them when they came into the store. “Oh, it’s you two. I was waiting for when you would show up and meet me. Took a while, huh?”

“This girl,” Hanako whispered and blushing, oddly enough. “She’s too cool!”

She did fit the role of ‘cool’ to the extreme. Her short sandy blonde hair and swept bangs accented her deep blue eyes. The slender and tanned figure, brought to light by her leather jacket, black t-shirt, and ripped jeans with belt buckles and combat boots, with the added touch of her multiple ear piercing as well as the nose piercing made Auruka feel intimidated just by being near her. Another odd thing was the additional watch she had on, opposite of the one on her right arm.

She walked up to them, her posture graceful yet dangerous, and Auruka could feel Hanako shake near her. That’s okay, her knees were buckling. She was less than a foot from Auruka’s face.

“I’m Amane Ikeda, and while I carry the title of Super High School Level Spy, I must admit that that itself raises suspicion. Likewise with you as well.”

* * *

**Amane Ikeda- Super High School Level Spy**

* * *

 

“Huh?” It took a second to process what she just said. “Wait, how is that suspicious?”

“Micho-chan, careful! She said she’s a spy!”

Amane frowned. “You don’t have to worry about something like.” Hanako froze while she continued. “After all, I did say that my talent is suspicious, so there’s no need for concern over that. I’m just saying you should be more concerned over yourselves.

“We all remember being the new students of Hope’s Peak, and yet, I don’t recall ever being scouted. Do you two remember anything like that?”

“Uh… Well…” Auruka racked her brain, trying to make sense of this new information. If she was a student of Hope’s Peak, then that would mean she got a letter saying that. But if she can’t remember that, then what would that-

“I remember.” Hanako’s confirmation startled the two. “I definitely remember getting a letter from Hope’s Peak. I remember because it came in a fancy envelope. Right, Micho-chan?” she looked up with shying eyes, and while Auruka felt a twist in her gut, she decided to play along.

“Y-Yeah. It’s starting to come back a bit…I remember getting a letter from Hope’s Peak.” She had no idea why she was lying, but she went along with it. For some reason, saying the lie actually felt more true.

Amane kept a steady gaze at the two girls, before sighing. “Damn…I thought I had something here. But I suppose since you two remember as well, then it must be true?”

“What?”

“I talked to everyone else, and they all said the same thing. They all received a letter to Hope’s Peak, all saying the exact same thing that you two said. Even myself. But it’s still odd…”

…What? Everyone said the same thing? But then why didn’t Auruka not…. No. There was an explanation, but she just didn’t remember it, she guessed. Whatever the case, everyone else had the same thought, maybe. Then did Hanako…

BING BONG BING BONG

A loud obnoxious bell chimed throughout the center, even throughout the plaza, and caught everyone’s attention. A monitor that Auruka hadn’t noticed on the wall flipped on, and from the static was a familiar bear.

“ _Ahem. I believe that everyone has managed to make their acquaintance. Now then, would everyone please make way for the plaza stage? I have a little surprise in store for you!_ ” With that the monitor shut off.

“Well,” Amane said. “I believe that’s the part we’re waiting for? Are you guys coming?”

“Micho-chan…” Hanako whimpered.

“Don’t worry Amaya-chan. I bet it’s nothing too bad.” With a reassuring smile, she started walking out. And in a moment after Hanako followed, clasping onto Auruka’s hand.

The trio made their way, seeing everyone else going on a large group. Amane sprayed to stand near a few others, while Auruka and Hanako stood near Keiichi and Akihisa with Sora in tow. With everyone assembled in front of the stage, did they began whispering and muttering concerns over what was going to happen.

“Thank you all for waiting! Now then, prepare yourselves for something special!” with that exclamation, they all turned to the stage and from it popped out Monokuma once more, his appearance still haunting.

“You again?” Jude groaned. “How is that anything special?”

“Maybe he wants to redo his whole intro?” said Diana. “He seems like the kind of guy…”

“Aww, I’m crying.” Monokuma sniffed before guffawing. “Don’t worry though, it’s just fake! Besides this isn’t the surprise we wanted you to see!”

“Then what is it?” Auruka asked.

“This!” And with that, something truly amazing happened. With his arms up Monokuma twirled and then placed both hands on top his head before a _Rrriiiip_ was heard. Everyone watched in horror as the bear was split in half equally, but a few screamed when they saw something happen to both torn segments; another half suddenly popped out of them! To Auruka, this reminded her of cell division, with an exact copy made from it, except… those two were… only one shade of color each.

“Hiya folks, nice to meet ya! My name is Kurokuma!” said the fully black bear.

“Hello, hello! It’s a pleasure, I’m Shirokuma!” said the fully white bear.

“And together… we welcome you to our game: _The Betrayal Killing Trip_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! Please...


	4. Prologue VI

“Hiya folks, nice to meet ya! My name is Kurokuma!” said the fully black bear.

“Hello, hello! It’s a pleasure, I’m Shirokuma!” said the fully white bear.

“And together… we welcome you to our game: _The Betrayal Killing Trip_!”

“Whoo-hoo! Third time’s the charm huh?” Shirokuma stretched. “Man, I’m so glad we did this one last!”

Kurokuma nodded. “I agree, big brother. We made sure our presentation was just perfect with them all. Oh, how much em-bear-rassment I felt earlier.”

The fact of the matter, everything went from 0 to 60 in a blink of an eye. What was once one bear was now two, each a separate color of its original, glaring at the sixteen students in a menacing manner akin to a lion to prey. Kurokuma and Shirokuma, the ones responsible for this madness, the ones responsible for their displacement, the ones responsible for this feeling of _despair_. Auruka couldn’t help but shiver, every good feeling she had prior now dissolving into nothing but foreboding despair.

“Aww, what’s the matter? Bear got your tongue? Kyahahaha!” Kurokuma was clutching onto her(?) stomach, spittle flying. She was everything like the darker half of the original Monokuma, her black beady eye now completely white, alongside her pudgy belly. Her voice was a higher pitch and more merciless than the original, so it made sense to her to assume its gender. Especially when…

“Aw sis, ease up on them okay? It’s not every day they here about the game they’re going to be playing.” Shirokuma answered. His lower pitch and gentler voice made him seem like the older sibling, as he patted Kurokuma gently on the head. The white body and smile standing out, save for the glowing red eye, made him the lesser of two evils that were themselves. But that died when he snickered, “Why don’t we give them a little crash course on their situation. Let them feel terror on an unnatural level?”

There were stars in Kurokuma’s eyes. “B-Big Bro~” she said.

The scene was unsettling for the others, with the way the two had yelled _Betrayal Killing Trip_ with excitement and joy. Auruka clenched her teeth, her body freezing despite the warm temperature. She didn’t know why, but she was _terrified_.

Kousuke was the first to speak up. “I am seriously confused right now.”

“Oh good,” Diana said, her eyes never leaving the bears. “I thought I was the only one…”

“What happened to Monokuma?” Yoshi asked. “Who are you two?”

“Geez, we just said who we are, didn’t we?” Shirokuma sighed. “But I guess we have to simplify for you guys, just like certain people simplify for other certain people. And simplify for, again, _more_ people, like the first batch we dealt with and-“

“Hey! Shut up you idiot!” Kurokuma covered Shirokuma’s mouth. “You’re doing what most developers would call ‘bad storytelling’! And to answer Yomohiro-kun, we are Monokuma but we’re not Monokuma- two halves of a whole you know? I,” She said, “am the embodiment of the black hope of Monokuma!”

“And I am the embodiment of the white despair of Monokuma!” Shirokuma exclaimed with fervor. “Together we make the unison that is Monokuma! Kyahahahaha!” The two jumped off the stage and wobbled over to the frightened students.

“And we should be more proper on our explanation on what you’re doing here. Right, dear sibling?”

Kurokuma nodded. “Right! Like why the back fences around some of the pathways, or the watches, or etc. All of that can be summed up in one little sentence…”

“All exits out of this glorious city have been blocked off!” They both exclaimed, the realization dawning on the students. Panic began setting in as they continued.

“Meaning that you have no means of leaving, just like birds in a cage!” Shirokuma said.

“But don’t worry, there’s a simple way to leave…” Kurokuma giggled. “And that’s the point of the Betrayal Killing Trip!”

“Betrayal Killing Trip…?” Isamu muttered. “What is that about?”

Shirokuma sighed. “Well, actually the real name is the _Betrayal Killing Game_ , but we put _Trip_ because we’re on a trip. But to simplify, it is what it says- all the participants will betray and kill one another in a bloody spectacle. Naturally _your_ group here are the participants as you try your hardest to escape!”

Everyone was silent, before Jude spoke up. “Killing… betray…? What the fuck!?”

“I don’t understand!” Keiichi had both hands on Sora’s shoulders, her body shaking and pale. “Why are you saying something like killing each other?!”

“Because that’s the point of the trip- someone wants to leave this city, offs someone else, and then the remaining students will participate in the class trial to find out the killer!”

“Class trial?” Auruka dreaded Kurokuma’s grin from her question.

“Yes. The class trial is a necessity in a killing game such as this; allow us to explain. You see, simply murdering someone does not guarantee you get to leave so easily, we offer a brief investigation to allow everyone a chance to investigate the murder. The guilty, or Blackened, will have to go through with the innocent, or Spotless, and participate in the class trial- a nonstop debate between everyone to find who the Blackened is. At the end you’ll vote on who you believe the Blackened is, if you get it right then the Blackened will receive punishment for their actions, if not then they will be allowed to leave while the Spotless receive the punishment.”

“P-Punishment…?” Jude whimpered. “What does that mean?”

“Punishment!” she exclaimed. “Those who try to commit vile acts deserve punishment when they’re found out, an eye for an eye so to speak! In this case, it would have to refer to what is deserving of murderers- EXECUTION! That is the best result we wish to see in the Betrayal Killing Game!”

“Tsk, tsk. Betrayal Killing _Trip_ , little sister.”

“W-Wait! What if we don’t kill?” Auruka looked back at the soft-spoken Kanade. “You’re saying we have the option of killing, but that means that we don’t have to kill anyone! As long as that happens, then none of that punishment or class trials have to take place, right?”

“Kana-chan’s right! There’s no way any students would dare commit something as heinous as murder- as teachers, you should realize this!”

“That’s a little out of left field, but they’re right!” Diana pointed an accusing finger at the two. “We don’t have to listen to whatever crap you two make up! We don’t kill and we’re all alive!”

There was a pregnant pause, like the split second before a major accident would occur.

Shirokuma tilted his head. “You don’t believe us? Well that’s to be expected, not that we care in the slightest. We made sure that you would take us seriously, with our special #1 motive~” The way he said motive caught everyone’s attention.

“You guys were awfully curious on the watches earlier, so you must still be curious now…” Kurokuma pointed at the watch on Auruka’s wrist, the glowing green 7 blinking eerily at her.

“Hey, in fact, I’m carrying one of those watches right now.” From out of nowhere Shirokuma brought out one of the lack watches, but instead was with a red glow, the number 0 rapidly flashing. Whether it was the color or the blinking, it made Auruka panic. “If you’re curious, each number corresponds to a full day. Hey little sister, why don’t you carry it?”

“Okay!” Kurokuma took it off her brother’s paws and strapped it to her wrist. “Now what?”

All Shirokuma said was a quick “This!” as he performed a feat that most people would see in a cartoon or something similar. He grabbed his sister and with herculean strength flung her into the air. “Hi-yah!”

Kurokuma flew like a bullet upwards, screaming “I’m fly~ing”, as she started glowing red, no doubt from the watch. She was engulfed in the red like a jet, until the blinking stopped as she reached the peak of the throw.

And in a blink of eye, there was a bright flash and a loud BOOM that rocked Auruka’s entire body. She shielded her eyes, but the brightness of the explosion still came in between her fingers and stung her eyes. The smell of sulfur and burnt fabric filled her nostrils and she pulled away to gaze at the shower of blackened stuffing raining down on her. One managed to land directly on her watch…

“Oh god.” The blinking number glowed ominously, its true meaning causing a cold sweat. If that watch was anything like the watches she had now, then when that counter hits zero…

Finally, the silence that engulfed her and the others was broken.

“Get this fucking thing off me!” Jude screeched, gripping his watch with ferocity. Alongside him a few others were doing the same.

Sora was yanking on Keiichi’s and him vice-versa. “It won’t come off, why can’t it come off?!”

“I don’t know, I don’t know! Pull harder!”

Auruka would call it pointless, but she was doing the same thing everyone else was, her fingers digging desperately into her skin while trying to get under the wrist strap. But it was all for naught. No matter how badly she wanted to drip it off, the ticking time bomb was staying on her wrist, with the only coming off in shouldering fragments.

“Upupupu~ You know if you try hard enough, you could set off its defense alarm.” Numerous eyes landed on Shirokuma. “It that were to happen, I would give you guys about sixteen seconds before- BOOM! Not the best way to go you know.”

That seemed to stop everyone as they pulled away from the watches. “But there is a surefire way to rid yourself of such a horrible burden.”

Diana paled. “Don’t tell me-“

“Kill someone and get away with it! Once that happens, then you’ll be able to have the watch removed! That’s the point to the Betrayal Killing Game!” Shirokuma snickered. “I gotta say, that does sound a lot smoother.”

“I told you!” Everyone jumped from the sudden voice. From behind Shirokuma, almost like a shadow, Kurokuma bounced back.

“The dead revived!” Hanako screeched.

“We can’t die!” Kurokuma said. “So don’t you worry about us dying and you leaving you- that’ll never happen, no way! We’re here to see the Betrayal Killing Game go on for as long as it needs to, which I’m netting will be quite soon.” She began to giggle, while Shirokuma continued.

“As for now, you’re limited on your area for killing, but more places will be open after more bodies hit the floor. The main plaza is where we are at the moment, but I’m hoping you’ll discover all the secrets it carries. Let’s see,” he rubbed his chin as if contemplating. “Am I forgetting something?”

“That’s right, we forget about their well-being. Now where is-here it is.” From out of nowhere Kurokuma produced a small box. “I forgot about delivering these earlier, but they should be useful. Da da da~ It’s the MonoCard!” From the box a thin black card was brought out. She stepped down from the stage and waddled over to Auruka, holding it out. Auruka didn’t really have much of a choice so she took it, Kurokuma grabbing more and handing them out to everyone else. She noticed a Monokuma insignia in the center and without much thought tapped it, the screen immediately lighting up. Large text appeared with some icons on the bottom.

* * *

**MONOCARD**

**AURUKA MICHO**

**SUPER HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL DEFENSE ATTORNEY**

* * *

 

“Whoa. What is this?”

“That’s the MonoCard- a sophisticated piece of equipment that you’re required to carry at all times. Big Bro and I spent so much time making it just for you! It has a map, information on your fellow students, and the rules of the Betrayal Killing Game. I recommend reading those rules before you start killing.”

“And with that we finish the Prologue!” They exclaimed in unison. “We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Sorry to say but we have to leave, we’ll be back when we’re needed.”

“Wait!” Auruka couldn’t handle this massive overload of information, and just be expected to accept it. She ran ahead, her body ready to leap on top of the stage. “If you think I’m letting you leave without explaining anything I’m gonna-“

“So long! Until next time!” And with that the two vanished, just as fast as they came, Auruka’s hand reaching for nothing but air. With that, the mastermind of the killing game were gone, and the participants were left in what was believed to be the starting point. Auruka’s hand fell, clenching into a fist. She turned back to the others, her face strained.

“Is that it then? This for real?” Kaishi muttered.

“This is…evil…Just plain evil…” Kanade wrapped her arms around herself, shaking.

“Anyone else hoping it’s just a dream…” Kousuke shook his head. “If I don’t see, then I’m not or something?”

“A killing game, with a time limit of at least seven days.” Yoshi said. “It sounds fake, but considering what just transpired, I wouldn’t try to deny it.”

Akihisa grumbled. “And they just expect us to play it? What’s the end goal here- the whole reasoning behind this?”

Mandy clicked her tongue. “I don’t think we’ll be able to figure that out in just one day. And I suspect that they’ll drag this out as much as they want.”

“So that’s it!?” Diana exclaimed. “We’re expected to just go along with this whole mess and let them kill us? What kind of sick joke is this?!”

“What do you mean _let them kill us_?” She turned to Yoshi, a finger to his lips. “Didn’t you hear what Shirokuma and Kurokuma said, about how we want to escape this place? I would think everyone would pay attention to the most interesting rule.”

Auruka grimaced at the way he sounded, like an adult talking down to a child. His cloudy eyes sparkling with an almost wicked gleam.

“Interesting…? You’re seriously not taking this lightly… right?” Isamu asked, only to freeze and the smile on Yoshi’s face.

Mandy managed to steer the conversation away from the blind boy. “In order to leave, you must kill one of your classmates. Participate in the class trial and get away with murder. Then you can leave. You really want to play, don’t you?”

Amane shook her head. “Technically he wouldn’t be the only one playing- all sixteen of us are playing the Betrayal Killing Game. Which means in a situation like this, there’s one thing to consider.

“Everyone here has the potential to kill.” With those words ringing clear as day, the truth settling in, the students instinctively moved away from one another. Some glared, others fretted, the aura of distrust washing over them. “Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone here is thinking along the lines of wishing to escape this place, without realizing that the way to do so would be to kill.” Amane could only give one final foreboding line to the reality of their situation. “At this moment, we can only trust ourselves.”

Auruka couldn’t help but agree to this. To it, to everything that was now happening. Sixteen of the world’s most talented and bright students to the famed Hope’s Peak were now trapped together in a seemingly abandoned playground to two sadistic masterminds whose end goal was quite simple. They must murder if they wish to escape, and try to get away with it, otherwise they would receive _Punishment_. Strapped to each student, to get them ready to kill were wristwatches designed to blow up in seven days’ time, a kick start to an endless nightmare that Auruka couldn’t begin to comprehend.

But before all of that, before the killing, before the madness, before the overwhelming despair… Was to be the start of their new lives here. Whether it be for a long time, or a short visit depending on who would act first.

And so began their daily life. In an abnormal deadly game. A game not of life, momentary value, or not even hope. This was game of trust and betrayal, fitting enough it seems for Auruka and fifteen untrustworthy allies.

* * *

**END PROLOGUE**

**CITY LIFE: A SECOND CHANCE AT HELLO**

**16 STUDENTS REMAIN**

**7 DAYS LEFT**

* * *

 


	5. Daily Life I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We begin chapter 1, YES! Ah but before that I just wanted everyone to know the main theme of this story. Unlike the Hope’s Peak Saga, Hope and Despair are not the main theme, instead the theme for this… series? Yeah, the series!  
> The main theme is Trust and Betrayal! Hope and despair are a part, but the main focus is the trust you hold over someone who will betray you. Backstab your friends and trust your enemies, that’s what the Betrayal Killing Game aims to bring! And with that, let’s begin!

* * *

**Memory Theater**

**… A recollection of…. Memories…. Recovered…**

“We’ll be friends forever, right?”

“As long as however long this world stands.”

“I can’t imagining things going back to normal.”

“Normalcy is overrated.”

“Then we’ll be abnormal then.”

“I don’t mind having a freak for a friend.”

“Mean Ru-chan! I’m being sentimental! Stop being like that!”

“Sorry. But we should go… starting soon…”

“…she…class…the city… will be ready…”

“Yeah… let’s enjoy… okay?”

_“Let’s go. For today, we’re gonna begin our Future.”_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Your Farewell to My Betrayal**

**Daily Life**

* * *

**Betrayal Killing Game Rules**

**Rule 1: All students are expected to live in trust and harmony within the city**

**Rule 2: From 10 pm to 8 am is designated Night Time-certain facilities and functions will be unavailable at the time**

**Rule 3: Both Shirokuma and Kurokuma are not to be harmed by students, lest they receive Punishment**

**Rule 4: Students who wish to leave must commit a murder in order to do so**

**Rule 5: After a murder has occurred a Class Trial will be held shortly thereafter**

**Rule 6: A student has free reigns to kill, but is limited to a body count of two throughout the Killing Game and Class Trial**

**Rule 7: When a body is discovered by three or more people, a body discovery announcement will announce throughout the city**

**Rule 8: The Betrayal Killing Game will come to end if a certain number of students are left or the Blackened has successfully got away with murder**

**Rule 9: Even if trust and harmony exist, betrayal and chaos are necessary- allow yourself to commit betrayal**

**Rule 10: More rules will be added when needed- all rules are final**

* * *

No matter how many times she read it, no matter how blurry the words would get, the general rules would stay the same. Auruka groaned for the umpteenth time today, the light from the MonoCard her only source in her room.

Yes, her room. Apparently everyone here was given a room, located in two apartment complexes near the point of entry where the students awoke earlier. The building on the left would house the girls, on the right the boys. With eight rooms in total in each, suited to everyone’s taste, it was a gentle reminder that everyone is expected to live in ‘trust and harmony’ while imprisoned.

Her room wasn’t that bad, but you can dress up a cage and call it anything else- it won’t change the truth. It followed the standards of every room: a large bed, a mirror/dresser combo, a connecting bathroom and shower for one, and an extra door to the side that connected to the room next door on the left. The only difference between hers and everyone else’s was the modest desk with a stack of judicial law books on it, the square decorative rug on the hardwood floor, and the mini bronzed gavel on her dresser- everything attributing to her talent, the one thing that landed her here in the first place. Fat lot of good that was, but she didn’t really have the time to complain.

Right now, all she could do was try to sleep and let her constant worries and troubles briefly fly away.

Even though she has been awake for nearly half an hour.

After the whole fiasco with Shirokuma and Kurokuma, dveryone tried to find some semblance of escape only to reach dead ends, literally. The black fences that were around the area were now electrified, a big shock (no pun intended), and with enough voltage to blacken any unluck soul who wasn’t paying attention.

Plus, their initial entry into this death trap was sealed away by the same fences, so they couldn’t even go back in the safety they initially had in that warehouse. Their day squabbling to find an escape soon set off into noon, then dusk. Near the end, they settled on going to rest and have a meeting the following day.

It seems whoever was controlling Shirokuma and Kurokuma somehow had control over the city and its surroundings. Auruka switched her MonoCard off, just staring at the ceiling while her mind was racing from the revelation of her new living arrangements. Just what kind of sick bastard was doing this? Why would they subjugate Auruka to playing nice with a bunch of people who are given the option to murder someone just to leave? What was she to do?

It was the thoughts in her mind that she fell into a restless sleep, a quite whisper escaping her lips.

“I just want to go home…”

* * *

**6 DAYS LEFT**

* * *

“Good morning, everybody! We would like to announce that it is 8 am, meaning Night Time is over! Please wake up and enjoy a glorious betray-filled day!” The monitor hanging on the ceiling showed both Shirokuma and Kurokuma sitting side by side in a plush chair, the wall behind them holding portraits with childish renditions of the students. Everything about it was both an annoyance and a disturbance.

But it worked well for a way to wake up Auruka.

She felt gross as she got up, still wearing her clothes from yesterday. Thankfully the shower was open, but what about clothes?

She went towards the dresser, shocked to discover a neatly folded pile of clothes identical to the ones she was wearing. Alongside two more piles.

“Because that’s not creepy at all…” she muttered, grabbing one pile as she headed towards the bathroom.

After an uneventful shower (her main issue being the watch somehow being waterproof) she grabbed her MonoCard and headed out. Everyone made it clear that they should all meet up at the community center today to try to make sense on their escape. There were a few stragglers, like Miki, who was in the process of fixing her scarf, and Hanako, who was obviously waiting for Auruka to come out. She smiled and gave a short wave.

“Morning Micho-chan! Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

“N-Not really.” She replied, crossing her arms. “I mean, I got enough sleep, but I wouldn’t call it _good_. Amaya-chan, how are you feeling?”

Hmmm, not too bad I guess.” She answered. “The living arrangements are nice enough to not worry me,” she paused, her face unsure. “But then again, considering our situation, it doesn’t help much…”

With that somber note, the two joined up with Miki, and all three headed off to the community center. Miki was just as quiet as the two girls, so they hurried along, eager for more company. Leaving their apartment, and walking across the plaza, they reached the community center, where everyone else was enjoying breakfast.

“Oh, you three, over here!” Diana stood up and waved from a nearby table. From across, Kousuke was devouring his food, his cheeks bulging, while Nathaniel was gazing in either awe or horror. Auruka noticed the empty seat between the two guys. Everyone else was seated as well, save for Sora, who was carrying a few plates of food.

“Kou-kun is so amazing! That’s the third plate!” she exclaimed, picking up the aforementioned plate. Keiichi got behind her as she had trouble balancing the dishes.

“Where do you keep it?” Jude asked.

“Mmph!“ he swallowed. “That’s easy- my stomach.”

“That’s not what I- never mind.”

As Auruka sat down, a plate was brought to her almost immediately. “Can’t skip breakfast.” Sora beamed with an almost angelic aura. “A teacher would never allow her students to not require daily nutritional value for their day.”

Auruka nodded. “Thank you Ima-“

“Speaking of requirements,” Oh dear god no. “Students must also partake in more than eight hours of sleep. Shirokuma and Kurokuma at least understand that, so that’s nothing to worry about.” Sora sat down next to Keiichi. “But food still needs to be prepared in advanced, otherwise they’re no eating. A half-hour is generally the correct time needed.”

Kanade joined in, simplifying Sora’s statement. “She said that in general, the food is all unprepared. The kitchen’s in the back and Imayoshi-san asked myself and Yoshikazu-kun to help with making breakfast, so we all chipped in at about half an hour.” She giggled. “So what you’re eating is definitely from us.”

“I see.” Looking down at her plate of pancakes and assorted fruits in a cup, the aroma was most pleasant. Before she took the first bite, she stopped, asking, “So we have to make out own food while living here?”

“That seems to be the case.” Kaishi replied, chewing on a strip of bacon. “We got the clothes, bedrooms, and free reign to do whatever we want, but they expect us to do the providin’ ourselves. At least we got enough food to last us a while.”

“How much food is there?” Hanako asked.

“About enough to sustain us for four months. And that’s if we don’t consider putting limits on the amount we eat.” Amane side-eyed at Kousuke, who was managing to finish another plate, before she continued. “Regardless, it seems we don’t have to worry about starving.”

“At least until the six days we have left are done. The food would definitely go to waste once that happens.” Yoshi gleefully tore into his pancakes, the silence justifying everyone’s response. From that, he looked up from his food. “What?”

“W-What do you mean ‘What?’” Diana screeched. “You don’t say something like that in our situation! That kind of bullshit is not acceptable!” Around the table, everyone looked at Yoshi with unease, the peaceful atmosphere all but dissolved.

“Saying that we’re gonna die…” Jude shuddered. “That’s too fucked up.”

“But isn’t it true?” Yoshi said so nonchalantly. “In about six days, we’ll all be dead unless someone decided to kill someone. And unless someone is actively planning their escape, we’re all dead in the water.” He poked at the pancake with little interest. “Seems like no one here is even considering trying.”

Akihisa glared at the white haired boy, crossing his arms. “So you’re planning to commit murder then? A bit risky to even bring up the topic with everyone.”

“Did I say I was planning to commit murder? No, I didn’t.” he replied. “All I said was that we’re all going to die in six days- something that can be avoided if one of us decides to kill someone. Besides, unless I’m needed to play my role, I guess I’ll just be the prop necessary for the game to commence.”

Auruka was afraid to, but she asked “What do you mean ‘prop’?”

“The victim obviously. It’s very well decided that I would be the first to die in the game.”

“…What?”

Yoshi pouted. “I said, that it’s very well decided that I would be the first to die. I didn’t make that clear enough? Need I just leave my room unlocked with a note on the door saying ‘Easy Bait Inside’?” He focused his unwavering eyes at Auruka. “I would think you would suspect something of that caliber, Micho-san.”

Mandy grit her teeth. “This guy…What’s his deal?”

“What do you- this isn’t a game!” Auruka stood up, pointing accusingly. “You can’t just go on about being the first to die or about everyone else dying! What are you trying to accomplish by saying something like this?”

His eyes focused on her finger, the deafening silence troubling for the group. He smiled. “Oh my Micho-san, are you completely forgetting what happened yesterday? How Ikeda-san said that we can’t trust anyone?” All eyes went to the aforementioned girl, who was glaring at the white haired boy. “She said that everyone here has the potential to kill, and how we all want to leave, what we need to do if we want to leave…” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s the only reason I’m going along with my role when needed- I’m just following along with what Ikeda-san said.”

Auruka could only look on in stupor, as Yoshi giggled. She jumped when Hanako touched her shoulder to pull her down. Her stomach was in knots and her she could see spots in her vision. What is this? What’s happening? “See? You’re already feeling the seed of distrust start to sprout.” His eyes sparkled, a truly disgusting look in this situation. “I’m just betting we know who’s gonna try to kill-“

CRASH

“Ow!”

Two things happened simultaneously: first, the tense atmosphere was broken like the plate that hit the floor, and second, Yoshi clutched his stomach, reeling from the quick jab Miki delivered. Sora and Keiichi both hurried to clean up the mess one of them so obviously caused.

“A-Are you okay, Imayoshi-san?” Kanade asked, getting down as well to help. Sora was obviously shaken, more likely from Yoshi, her body shivering. Nonetheless, she accepted Kanade’s help and carefully gathered the fragments.

Meanwhile, Yoshi was whimpering, or possibly whining, from the pain as he turned to the girl on his right. “Geeze, Miki-tan’s so cruel… Why did you have to hit so hard like that?”

Miki sighed. “If I didn’t, then you would continue your gamblings of betrayal and killing.” Her hair buns bounced as she turned away from him, frowning. “Why must you act along like you’re the bad guy in a rope drama? I blame myself for pot watching how rotten you’ve grown to be.”

“Eh?” Yoshi eyes widened. “Miki-tan, you don’t mean that, do you? Miki-tan? Hey Miki-tan!” In a split second, the conniving boy that stood before Auruka was gone- he whined as he turned to Miki, more a child than a diabolical arch-villain. He even started rubbing his head on her shoulder!

All Auruka could think was ‘ _It’s like a mother scolding her child_.’

“I wasn’t expecting that…” Jude muttered, watching Miki pushing Yoshi’s forehead away with her finger. “But at least he stopped going off about killing and shit.” He let out a small laugh at that.

“What a weird kid.” Mandy said, before pushing away her plate. “Well, since breakfast is probably way done with, why don’t we start with our whole escape plan? I can’t be the only one who wants to leave this death trap?”

Isamu frowned. “Didn’t we do that yesterday? We found nothing even when we spent the rest of the day looking and searching.”

That much was true, but it didn’t seem to deter Amane. “It wouldn’t hurt to go over the details.” She said. “If we go over everything, we may realize someone might have discovered something the rest of us missed.”

“Something like that? Okay,” Diana said. “Let’s do that then. And I’ll start off with the general- anyone else can join in when they want.” With a few nods of approvement, she began.

“In basic terms, we’re located in a city called Genesis City- more specifically the plaza. Both Shiro and Kuro said that the rest of the areas are closed off at the moment.”

Mandy spoke up. “Any areas that we can take are blocked off: in the cardinal directions there are pathways leading to possibly different parts of this city, but they’re blocked with those fences. Same for our layout as well.

“The layout?” Auruka asked.

Yeah, you see on the map icon on the MonoCard?” Kousuke took out his MonoCard and swiped an icon. He pulled up the map and showed it to Auruka, with sixteen pixel icons dead center in the community center. “With how the plaza looks like a box- there’s fences surrounding us! Outside the paths, there’s open plains and trees, and maybe our way out.”

"Yeah, but you’re forgetting how electrified those fences are.” Kaishi says. “The air around them is too damn dry for us to get near, so any plan not involving extendable wire cutters is out of the question.”

Akihisa continued. “Moving on, the area we entered this city is blocked now with those fences. So if we wanted to investigate that place, it’s out of the question. Not like it’ll help.

“Thanks Futonomi-kun…” Kanade said. “It seems that the stores on either side of the community center offer either miscellaneous stuff, or clothes we can wear. That’s a plus, right?”

Yoshi pulled away from Miki’s shoulder and beamed. “Shirokuma and Kurokuma said something about my clothes when I asked. Apparently we can wear new clothes if we want, but we’re fine with the clothes we have on plus extras.”

“I guess that’s reassuring.” Amane said. “Anything else we missed?

Isamu raised his hand. “There’s the gyms that are located near the back for us assigned by gender,” he pointed over to two hallways to the far left and right on the building. “And by the gyms are medic rooms.”

“Has anyone been in them?” Keiichi asked.

Isamu shook his head. “Nope. Apparently they’re locked. Wonder why?”

“That’s obviously because we were waiting for this moment!” Auruka jumped as the shrill voices of Kurokuma and Shirokuma rang, alongside the two from god knows where and onto the table.

“Gyaah! You two?!” Kousuke exclaimed, his arms raised up, bent, and forming a diamond.

“Yay!” Yoshi cheered. “Our captors have arrived to make things needlessly more complicated!”

“Ohohoho~ Yomohiro-kun totally gets us!” Shirokuma’s toothy grin only seemed to grow wider. “It’s true, nothing makes me happier than spreading misinformation!”

“Eh? Does that mean you work for the government, big bro?” Kurokuma asked. “How come I wasn’t notified?”

“Because a bear is not the proper politician in our day and age.” He shook his head. “Most people expect a rat or pig- sometimes an elephant- as their leader, but for some reason are less accepting of someone like a bear in the courthouse.”

“How horrible!” Kurokuma exclaimed. “Why can’t we all get along?”

Akihisa sighed. “Are we forced to listen to your mindless droll? If not, we can leave right now.”

“Ah! Please wait, please!” Shirokuma stuttered. “You can’t, you can’t, not until we explain the new guidelines.”

“What new guidelines?” Auruka asked.

“Geez, the guidelines on your MonoCard and certain facilities. May we have your attention please?” Kurokuma asked before continuing. “Now, the MonoCard is what acts as your ID, a necessity in your betray-filled days here, and gives you access to areas that are only accessible to you and certain other people.”

“Basically, it acts as the key to your room and as keys to any other area that are specifically made to need MonoCards!” Shirokuma said. “Did you notice the little card reader on the side of the gym? That reader will require a swipe of the MonoCard to open, but only if the gender listed on the MonoCard matches the room’s assigned gender.”

Kousuke raised his hand. “So the girl’s MonoCard can open the girl’s gym, and vice-versa for the boys?”

“Yep! And the rooms you’re all acquainted in can now be unlocked by the MonoCard. They’re electric and can be unlocked by tapping an icon on your MonoCard. But only for your assigned room, so no swapping rooms with anyone else.”

“These guidelines have now been added to the Rules, so don’t worry about forgetting.” Kurokuma said. “Now, unfortunately, we have to go! We have a lot of issues to settle with at the moment, so we bid you…”

“So long and farewell!” They both exclaimed, before disappearing to who knows where.

Jude scoffed. “Anytime without them is a godsend. So what else is left?”

Amane brought a hand to her chin. “That should be everything we know. But maybe someone can go investigate the gyms once we’re done? Other than that, I don’t have anything else to discuss.”

“What about when help comes?” Mandy grinned up at the Spy. “I know we’re all wondering why help hasn’t arrived to save us from this nightmare.”

Kanade nodded. “That’s true. I mean, police would definitely notice sixteen students of Hope’s Peak would go missing, right? So then help would definitely come! We don’t have to worry about this killing game then!”

“Then does that mean we’re okay for the next couple of days?” Kousuke said.

“Yeah, and we’re all going to receive our every own power rings to fight against the Bear Overlords!” Mandy cheered.

Yoshi frowned. “I’m not sure that reference was very strong.”

“Give or take a few days, and we’re all be home free.” Mandy continued with her haughty tone. “No way would the world let the Super High School Level Better-Than-Everyone-Else die in this place!”

“Well, you’re a very confident guy.” Kaishi said.

“Thanks. I try my best to be the very best, that no one ever was.” The messy haired girl could only grin at the groans from most of the others.

“Oh, that’s right! We all want to find a way out.” Sora said as she piled up the plates from the table and started heading to the kitchen.

“Did she just… realized that now?” Jude muttered.

“Mayhap she is too distracted for even the wisest monk to teach.” The only response Yoshi received from that statement was a small finger flick from Miki to the head.

Keiichi stood up as he tried to grab onto the pile of plates Sora was carrying. “Soracchi, here let me take those plates!”

“Me too!” Kanade joined in. “Imayoshi-san, let me help you take a few.”

Sora pulled away from them both. “It’s alright. A teacher shouldn’t shoulder her students with her own work.” She headed straight for the kitchen. “A teacher should never depend on her students or try to compensate with momentary value, freebies, or future divorce settlements.”

“Yeah no, she’s probably an idiot.” That earned a pinch on the cheeks.

With that, everything settled back down it seemed. Although Auruka still felt uneasy with Yoshi’s declaration about being the victim, his supposed role, everything he said mostly. She ignored most of Hanako’s mindless chatter as her eyes settled on the enigmatic boy.

With a screech of “ _Soracchi_!” Auruka turned to see Sora having slipped, but safely in the arms of the Cheer Captain. He was holding down the plates in her arms to stabilize them.

“Whoa!” she blinked. “I’m okay, I’m okay. Don’t worry about it Kei-chan, I haven’t gotten hurt yet.”

“ _Yet_ she says.” Jude said under his breath.

Kanade took few of the cups from the haphazard pile. “Imayoshi-san’s just a tad clumsy, but other than that, she can be right as rain!”

Sora pouted, realizing herself from Keiichi’s arms. “I can’t help my clumsiness, so I have to learn to live with it- I should try to depend less on Kei-chan’s help, in case he’s busy.”

“I don’t mind Soracchi, I told you that.” With his hands on his hips and a bright grin, he said “What matters is that you’re safe.”

“Thanks.”

“I do declare,” Mandy fanned herself, speaking in a southern drawl. “This lovey-dovey scene is starting to make my heart a-flutter!”

Jude muttered, “Seriously?”

“But I should try to focus more on finding a solution, or probably raising morale.” With the lighter load, she headed once again to the kitchen. “Maybe a job as teacher is necessary in situations like- Kah!” Unfortunately whatever she was going to say was cut off by herself.

Despite walking straight, she took once step and slipped, heading straight for the wall next to the kitchen door. With a short amount of time, she did the only thing she could and braced for impact, her arms raised up to protect the dishes.

Keiichi and the others flinched from the sound of Sora’s face meeting the hard wall. “S-Soracchi!”

She fell to her knees, the plates still above her head. “D-Don’t worre, ze bates are ine...” she muttered from the wall.

“Ah. She bit her tongue.” Amane said.

“And that concludes breakfast.” Yoshi cheered. “Any questions?”

Kousuke looked up from his fourth helping. “Can I have fifths?”

* * *

With the fiasco from breakfast, Auruka and Hanako decided to do some more exploring, or rather Hanako asked if they could try to explore. “The best option would be in one of the stores”, Auruka hypothesized. “Maybe there were security cameras, or some record that would give them something.” Inside the general store, Auruka was in the back while Hanako was in the front.

There weren’t any offices or camera rooms, so they tried inspecting every nook and cranny they could think of. Auruka dug through shelves of packaged food and miscellaneous items, trying to make sense of some unpleasant thoughts, like what they discussed on the city.

Aside from the name, they really had no idea where they were, and even then that wasn’t enough. Genesis City: the location was unknown, the layout was unusual, and the lack of people were all concerning enough. She gripped the container of floor wax she picked up, her stomach feeling uneasy from the lack of information.

Hanako’s voice rang out. “Micho-chan? Find anything?”

“Nothing interesting.” She replied, putting everything back to where it belonged. She followed the direction of the voice to see Hanako hunched over a bin of children’ toys. The only contents were small airplanes and trains, curiously enough as Auruka picked up an airplane with a mini Monokuma riding it.

“Do Shirokuma and Kurokuma think that highly of themselves?” she asked as she tossed the odd toy away.

Hanako shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know about that. I’m just a little creeped out with the lack of people. We really haven’t seen any people within this place.”

“Yeah. I get what you mean.” Auruka glanced at the empty register near the entrance. “It seems unnatural being alone like this.”

Hanako clapped her hands, the sound echoing in the building and startling Auruka. “Unnatural! That’s the word I wanted to use!”

“Huh?”

She had enough to blush from her actions. “Oh, um, well you said ‘unnatural’ and that was the word I actually wanted to say but didn’t… think hard….enough on it…”

“O-Okay.”

“You’re judging me on my inability to know words, I can see it in your soul.” Hanako buried her face in her hands. “Wah! This is embarrassing!”

“N-Not, that’s not it!” Auruka tried to think fast. “I’m not judging you. It’s…okay not to know all the words you know? There’s too many to count so it’s fine to forget a couple.” She tried to console with a pat on the shoulder. “Nothing wrong with a bit of forgetfulness.”

That seemed to do the trick, as Hanako looked up from her hands. “I guess. Does Micho-chan ever forget stuff? Like when you’re doing stuff involved with your talent?”

“Not that I can recall actually.” She replied quickly.

“Oh…” Hanako’s demeanor drooped.

_Crap_ , Auruka thought. “W-Well what about Imayoshi-san? She’s pretty forgetful, in a way.” She sputtered. “She’s already mange to fall more times than I can remember, but she’s doing fine even with that aspect of her.”

Hanako frowned. “So being forgetful means you’re clumsy too?”

“…I’m not sure.” Auruka said, crossing her arms. “Maybe the two are connected.”

Hanako nodded. “That’s something to consider then. So most normal people aren’t forgetful and they’re definitely not clumsy. I should focus more on people like you Micho-chan, and not on girls like Imayoshi-chan.” She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. “That’s good advice to go by, and I have you to thank for that, Micho-chan.”

All Auruka was look on in confusion and mutter a “You’re welcome?”

Hanako waved her hands dismissively. “Just ignore that for now, I’ll probably tell you later.” She looked around the store with feign interest. “Since this little trip was a bust, maybe we should look around at a later time and place, okay? I wouldn’t mind if we did another one again.”

Auruka smiled at the suggestion. “Sounds good.”

With that, the two said a short goodbye as Auruka headed to her room, Hanako’s words sticking with her. It seemed that the two instantly hit things off, and that surprised Auruka above all else. With a positive thought like that in her head, Auruka wondered what else she could do today.

* * *

**6 DAYS LEFT**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To help with the map, I've uploaded on my Tumbler because I can't for some reason here-   
> redux-redo.tumblr.com


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